3  1822  01233  5774 


LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF 
CALIFORNIA 

SAN  DIEGO 


THE  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA,  SAN  DIEGO 

LA  JOLLA,  CALIFORNIA 

'  fli  3  ? 


THE  DIAMOND  FROM  THE  SKY 


3   1822  01233   5774 


1916,  (.'.   If.  KMngliam  Company 


Reproduced  ty  the  Xatumal  Froeta  Company 

Esther  missed  the  clutching  grasp  of  Blair  by  a  hair's  breadth. 


HE  DIAMOND 

FROM 

THE 

SKY 

A  ROMANTIC  NOVEL 

BY 

ROY  L.  McCARDELL 


SIXTEEN   ILLUSTRATIONS 

By  fptaal  ptriniulan  cf  tltt  Sort*  Amariom  f*m  Corporation 


<&. 


G.  W.  DILLINGHAM  CO. 

NEW  YORK 


The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 


COPYRIGHT,  1916, 

BY 
0.  W.  DILLINGHAM  COMPANY 


ALL  RIGHTS  RESEETED 


PUBLISHED  FEBRUARY,   1916 


PRINTED  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES  OF  AMERICA 

LINOTYPE  COMPOSITION,  ELECTROTYPES,  PRESSWORK  AND  BINDING 

BY 

The  J.  J.  Little  &  Ives  Company 

£25-435  East  24th  Street 

New  York  City 

N.  Y. 


CONTENTS 

JACE 

Prologue 1 

CHAPTER 

I  A  Heritage  of  Hate                   .        »        .        5 

II  "An  Eye  for  an  Eye"      ....      31 

III  The  Wings  of  Fear 46 

IV  The  Prodigal's  Progress     ....      61 
V  For  the  Sake  of  a  False  Friend  ...      77 

VI  The  Queen  of  Love  and  Beauty  ...      91 

VII     The  Fox  and  the  Pig 107 

VIII    A  Mind  in  the  Past 121 

IX    A  Runaway  Match 136 

X  Old  Foes  with  New  Faces  .        .        .        .152 

XI  Over  the  Hills  and  Far  Away  .        .        .166 

XII  To  the  Highest  Bidder      .        .        ,        .182 

XIII  The  Man  in  the  Mask 194 

XIV  For  Love  and  Money 210 

XV    Desperate   Chances 225 

XVI    The  Path  of  Peril 239 

XVII  The  King  of  Diamonds  and  the  Queen  of 

Hearts 252 

XVIII  The  Charm  against  Harm  .        .        .        .266 

XIX    A  Jewel  for  a  Queen 282 

XX     The  Soul  Stranglers 296 

XXI     The  Lion's  Bride 310 

XXII  The  Rose  in  the  Dust .                                     325 


vi  Contents 

CHAPTER 

XXIII  The  Double  Cross      . 

XXIV  The  Mad  Millionaire   . 
XXV  A  House  of  Cards      . 

XXVI  The  Garden  of  the  Gods  . 

XXVII  Mine  own  People 

XXVIII  On  the  Wings  of  the  Morning 

XXIX  A  Deal  with  Destiny  . 

XXX  The  American  Earl 


PAGE 

340 
353 
366 
379 
392 
404 
416 
428 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

TO  PACE  PAGE 

Esther  missed   the  clutching  grasp  of  Blair  by  a 

hair's  breadth  (See  page  264)    ....    Frontispiece 
Colonel  Stanley  bargaining  to  buy  the  gypsy's  new 
born  baby 28 

"I  have  come  for  the  child" 38 

"You  have  wasted  every  chance  in  life  I  gave  you".  63 

Quabba  and  Clarence 87 

Hagar  ordering  Luke  to  care  for  Quabba   .     .     .     .  116 
Esther  and  Quabba  defying  Luke   Lovell   to  open 

the  box 147 

Joyously  the  gypsies  welcome  Esther  and  Quabba     .  189 

"Don't  you  dare  to  touch  her!"  cried  Luke  .     .     .  227 
"The  'diamond'  will   be   yours  if  I  can   get  my 

hands  upon  it " 276 

Esther  at  Arthur's  bedside,  while  Vivian,  unnoticed, 

gives  him  an  injection  of  the  lulling  drug      .     .  299 

Luke  is  "  double  crossed  " 349 

Arthur  turned  to  Esther  and  begged  her  to  forgive  him  364 

One  last  "big"  night  at  the  Powell  mansion  .      .     .  375 
At  that  moment  the  sinister  figure  of  Luke  Lovell 

stepped  into  the  room 403 

So  sped  the  happy  year .  431 


vii 


•tVQQ 

'UJUt 

i  which  he"  wore. 

4  butcher 

d'XT_ 

Diamonds  Have 

fi'eli 
obje 

she    was 

oora. 

and  fed  ou 

Fallen  From  Sky 

will  k 
begini. 
In    h 

Mai,  after 

—  «— 

Dana  5 

:  fijie  :  took 
£  .wounded 

Authentic    Instances    of    Me- 

"It  Is 
of  wall 

on  of  guilt 

teors  Bringing  Precious 

ings  or 
varied  •„ 

•f  the  court 

Gems  to  Earth. 

bracing 

led  to  -add 

chiefly 

'a  request 

When  "'Roy   L«.    McCardeli   won^a.1 

also   to 
The  te» 

Iked  out 

$10,  000'  prize  Mn   a   moving   picture 

represe: 
Southei 

play  contest  for  a  serial  moving  pic 

Rehalsa 

mails  tnat 

ture  the  central  theme  of  which  was 

iFrance 

ie  matter. 

the   romance   and  b  dramatic      events 

"Then 

erican  and 

that  followed  the  finding  of  a,  great 

plates,  a 

pal   Nuncio, 

diamond    in    a   meteor   that   fell    in. 

.Turkish  i 

i  to  execute 

Virginia    in    Colonial   times',    .many 

Moresque 
'ages   of 

her  pardon. 

skeptic  's  scoffed  at  what  they  deem* 

Metropoll 

from  her  cell 

ed  a  weird  creation  of  Mr.  McCar- 

Qf  the  12 

"$s  shot  in 

dell's    imagination.      But    diamond^ 

There 

•ol  the 

and  carborundum  •  have  -been  found 

faience 

in  meteors;   and  peridots  —  a     semi 

haa  fa 
also  Of 

Whit- 

precious   stone    is-  often    found      in. 

Italia* 

them.     There  are  many  legends  in 

may  • 

the   Orient   concerning     great  .  and] 

size  n 

ap  done 

priceless  diamonds  tlrat  have  fallen 
to   earth   in   meteors   to   enrich.  t&0 

the  pr' 

in  thid 

as  urged 

Collection  Jof   Asian   potentates;     ,A\ 

charactf 

Miss 

the   Museum   of      Natural      History, 

The  e 

>lood  with 

New  York  City,  the  Foyer  collection 

rus'-aE 

defeat  'all 

of  meteorites  has  for  its  most  inter 

ceptury- 

anish  Min- 

esting  specimen  the  famous-  "fallen 

a  prectc 

ll's  death 

star"  known  as  the  Canyon  ,  Diablo, 

ong  anc 

>r  which 

which    fell    at   Canyon   Diablo,   Ari- 

emerald 

^UJdous 

zona,  and  in  which  a  large  diamond 

tO  9  ^ 

was:  found  embedded  in  its  \mass. 

V 

TJ  A  "D-DfVnTV!       .T  ,/V«»TY"IST  » 

1AI.  DBSPAT 


THE  DIAMOND  FROM  THE  SKY 

PROLOGUE 
"TEE  FALLEN  STAR" 

/T  is  June  in  Virginia,  June  in  the  year  of  Our 
Lord  1615! 
Through  the  primeval  forest,  a  cavalier  rides 
in  haste.    His  steed  drips  with  foam  that  stains 
the  handsome  trappings  of  the  panting  charger. 

Sir  Arthur  Stanley,  wild  and  reckless,  rides  for  his 
life.  Though  but  twenty-two,  an  adventurous  career 
has  been  his.  Leaving  Eton  at  seventeen  in  disgrace 
through  an  escapade  of  gallantry,  he  had  gone  to  the 
Court  of  King  James  I.  where  as  the  second  son  of  the 
powerful  Lord  Cecil  Stanley,  of  Stanley  Castle,  War 
wickshire,  he  had  been  feted  and  courted,  beloved  of 
women  and  the  King's  favorite.  In  an  evil  moment  he 
had  gained  the  disfavor  of  the  gloomy  King  by  some 
harebrained  feat  of  gallantry  and  had  been  forthwith 
banished  from  the  Court  to  the  uttermost  wilds  of 
America,  to  what  was  then  known  as  the  King's  Plan 
tations  of  Virginia. 

In  England,  among  the  high  and  mighty,  they  still 
spoke  of  the  wild  and  dashing  Sir  Arthur  Stanley.  In 
one  brief  moment  he  passed  from  the  envied  position 
of  King's  favorite  to  the  state  of  an  exile.  At  the 

i 


The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

King's  Court  they  spoke  of  him  and  his  reckless  deeds, 
they  spoke  of  him — "The  Fallen  Star." 

And  now  Sir  Arthur  Stanley,  young  and  debonaire, 
"The  Fallen  Star"  rides  for  his  life.  Again  he  has  car 
ried  his  desperate  gallantries  too  far  and  in  the  attempt 
has  failed.  He  has  ridden  from  Jamestown  to  carry 
away  by  force  the  beautiful  daughter  of  an  Indian 
Chief,  but  his  fair  captive  has  been  wrested  from  him, 
and  signal  fires  by  night  have  roused  the  warlike  tribes 
to  seek  the  desperate  white  man  far  in  the  hostile  hills. 

The  Indians,  signalled  of  his  coming,  await  him  in 
ambuscade.  As  he  rides  for  his  life,  beneath  the  spread 
ing  branches  of  the  great  oaks  across  the  rocky  moun 
tain  trail,  an  Indian  brave  drops  from  an  overhanging 
branch  of  a  great  tree,  on  which  he  has  lain  hidden  in 
the  leafage,  full  upon  the  fleeing  horseman. 

Then  ensues  a  struggle  worthy  of  the  reckless  ways 
of  white  adventurer  and  desperate  savage  foeman. 
Gripped  in  fierce  embrace,  as  the  horse  stumbles  on 
under  his  doubled  struggling  load,  white  man  and  red 
smite  and  strive. 

Finally,  with  a  superhuman  effort,  the  white  man 
grasps  the  savage  with  his  right  hand  and  arm  back  of 
the  red  man's  neck  and,  exerting  all  the  force  of  his 
sinews  of  steel,  he  brings  the  red  man,  still  clutching 
and  smiting,  around  over  the  shoulder  of  his  lace-em 
broidered  riding  doublet  and,  holding  the  savage  across 
his  saddle-bow,  he  throttles  him  until  the  tongue  of  the 
panting  savage  lolls  from  his  foaming  mouth  and  his 
eyes  stare  in  their  sockets  like  those  of  a  man  in  epi 
lepsy. 

Then,  with  one  last  effort,  the  victorious  white  man 


Prologue 

casts  his  strangled  foe  down  off  his  horse  and  turns, 
spent  and  worn  as  he  is,  to  wave  the  shattered  figure  a 
mocking  farewell.  But  now  his  tired  horse  staggers 
and  falters  and  immediately  a  dozen  dusky  hands  have 
seized  on  horse  and  rider.  The  cavalier  is  caught  in 
the  trap  of  the  last  ambuscade  and  Sir  Arthur  Stanley, 
buffeted  and  battered,  is  dragged  to  the  ground,  "A 
Fallen  Star"  indeed. 

That  night  the  torture  fire  is  lit  and  the  deep  black 
ness  of  the  moonless  night  is  relieved  by  its  first  crim 
son  glow.  Suddenly,  across  the  zenith,  athwart  the 
sable  curtain  of  the  sky,  there  gleams  a  meteor. 

The  white  man  at  the  stake,  with  a  mighty  effort, 
tears  one  arm  loose  from  his  bounds  and  points  to  the 
blazing  ball  of  fire  as  it  falls.  "My  sign!"  he  cries,  "A 
Falling  Star!" 

Not  a  hundred  yards  away,  with  a  mighty  detonation 
as  it  strikes  the  earth,  the  blazing  meteor  falls,  hissing 
and  gleaming  in  seething  incandescence. 

The  frightened  savages  shrink  back  and  cover  their 
terrified  faces.  "An  omen  of  the  Great  Spirit's  dis 
pleasure!"  they  cry.  "The  Great  Spirit  sends  his  burn 
ing  star  to  protect  the  brave  white  warrior!" 

As  debonaire  as  though  advancing  to  lead  a  gaillard 
at  a  masque  at  the  Court  of  King  James,  Sir  Arthur 
Stanley  who  has  wrenched  himself  loose,  kicks  aside 
the  futile  faggots  and  walks  among  the  trembling  red 
men  who  kneel  at  his  feet. 

A  month  he  stays  among  them,  leading  their  hunts 
and  feasts.  A  month  he  leads  them  at  sunrise  and  sun 
set  to  make  their  oblations  to  the  meteor  and  himself 
— two  fallen  stars.  On  one  of  these  occasions  it  is  dis- 


4  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

covered  that  in  the  dark  bulk  of  the  cooled  meteor 
there  gleams  a  brilliant  crystal,  half  the  size  of  a  man's 
fist  —  it  is  a  diamond  beyond  estimation  of  price  —  a 
gem  to  be  known  to  the  Stanleys  for  generations  to 
come  as  "The  Diamond  from  the  Sky." 

The  trembling  chieftain,  at  the  white  man's  bidding, 
digs  the  great  diamond  from  the  soft  iron  of  the  cooled 
meteor  and  bends  to  the  ground  as  he  presents  it  to 
the  conquering  pale  face  as  the  gift  of  the  Great  Spirit. 

The  white  man's  horse  has  been  brought  at  his 
command.  Taking  the  diamond  from  the  shaking 
hand  of  the  kneeling  chief,  Sir  Arthur  Stanley  steps 
on  the  shoulder  of  the  savage  and  mounts  his  restive 
charger.  Holding  the  great  jewel  in  his  left  hand,  the 
careless  cavalier  gives  a  sweeping  salutation  of  fare 
well,  his  plumed  hat  in  his  strong  right  hand  and  rides 
away  enriched  —  but  as  he  came,  a  gentleman  un 
afraid! 

Thus  was  the  American  branch  of  the  noble  line  of 
Stanley  in  England  established  in  fair  Virginia,  three 
centuries  agone. 

"The  Diamond  from  the  Sky,"  by  the  will  of  its 
finder,  was  left  to  the  eldest  born  son  of  the  proud 
Stanley  family  he  founded  in  Virginia. 

With  the  deed  that  conveyed  the  diamond,  there  ran 
the  proviso: 


ye  English*  Stanleys  are  at  an  ende,  and  it  sballe  be- 
falle  that  the  beire  to  tbe  Earldome  of  Stanley,  in  Warwick- 
shire,  sballe  be  a  descendant  of  my  body*,  tben  be  sballe  take 
with  bint  to  bis  Earldome  'ye  diamond  from  ye  skye.'  " 


CHAPTER  I 
A   HERITAGE   OF   HATE 

IT  is  June  in  Virginia,  June  in  the  year  of  Our 
Lord  1886. 
June  in  beautiful  Fairfax  County,  summer  in  a 
land  of  fair  women  and  brave  men,  summer  in  a 
proud  old  country  side  that  possesses  a  landed  aris 
tocracy  and  feudal  traditions. 

The  fields  are  green,  the  early  blossoming  of  the 
honeysuckle  gives  a  fragrance  to  the  air.  The  thrush 
sings  along  the  hedgerows  and  the  mocking-bird  an 
swers  from  the  wood. 

Far  off,  the  Blue  Ridge  Mountains  form  emerald 
furrows  to  the  sky  that  pale  to  turquoise  against  a 
high  horizon  of  blue  and  gold.  Light,  fleecy  clouds 
drift  across  the  zenith  in  the  soft  airs  of  early  summer. 

At  such  a  time,  in  such  a  scene  and  such  surround 
ings,  two  horsemen  meet.  Both  are  men  of  striking 
appearance  and  proud  presence  and  are  in  the  full 
maturity  of  their  manhood.  Each  is  attired  in 
correct  riding  clothes  of  the  day  and  both  are 
mounted  on  Virginia  thoroughbreds.  They  are  Stan 
leys,  cousins  in  blood.  The  one  on  the  bay  hunter, 
Judge  Lamar  Stanley,  is  smooth  of  face,  and  the  grim 
lines  of  his  countenance  set  more  grimly  at  the  ap 
proach  of  his  kinsman,  Colonel  Arthur  Stanley.  The 

5 


6  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

latter  rides  his  chestnut  saddler  like  a  soldier.  Judge 
Stanley's  seat  is  that  of  a  huntsman. 

Even  as  they  ride  they  differ.  Colonel  Stanley's 
face  is  more  kind.  A  white  mustache  and  imperial  add 
to  his  soldierly  appearance.  In  the  Civil  War,  now 
twenty  years  agone,  these  kinsmen  served  the  Confed 
eracy  as  became  their  types  and  tastes. 

In  Richmond,  during  the  war,  Judge  Lamar  Stanley 
had  been  high  in  the  councils  of  the  Cabinet  of  the 
Confederate  President,  Jefferson  Davis.  In  the  field  his 
cousin  Arthur  Stanley  followed  the  fortunes  of  the 
Confederate  arms  as  a  member  of  the  staff  of  Gen 
eral  Lee. 

The  name  of  Colonel  Stanley  as  the  dashing  leader 
of  the  Fairfax  Light  Horse  Brigade  still  holds  its  place 
of  honor  in  the  gallant  annals  of  the  Lost  Cause. 

In  their  youth,  as  now  in  their  maturity,  these  men 
held  a  heritage  of  family  hate.  Crossing  each  other 
in  love,  crossing  each  other  in  martial,  civic  and  social 
ambitions,  their  mutual  hatred  grew  with  their  grow 
ing  years.  There  were  deep  causes  for  all  this  in  the 
thwarted  social  ambitions  of  the  Judge.  As  the  scion 
of  the  elder  branch  of  the  American  Stanleys,  spring 
ing  from  their  common  ancestor,  Sir  Arthur  Stanley, 
a  gentleman  adventurer  who  had  been  exiled  to  Amer 
ica  in  1615,  Colonel  Stanley  held  possession  of  the 
precious  family  heirloom,  "The  Diamond  from  the 
Sky." 

The  family  tradition  ran  that  this  great  gem  had 
fallen  in  a  blazing  meteor  at  the  feet  of  Sir  Arthur 
Stanley  three  centuries  ago,  just  as  he  was  about  to  be 
burned  at  the  stake  by  the  Indians  whom  he  had  in 


A  Heritage  of  Hate  7 

some  way  affronted  and  aroused.  The  legend  also  was 
that  the  Indians  had  deemed  the  falling  meteor  an 
omen  from  the  Great  Spirit  that  the  white  man,  about 
to  be  tortured,  was  under  the  favor  of  his  protection. 
This  legend  further  stated  that  Sir  Arthur  Stanley  him 
self  had  so  accepted  "The  Diamond  from  the  Sky"  as  a 
token  of  supernatural  favor,  especially  as  the  Indians 
had  called  it  "the  fallen  star,"  and  Sir  Arthur  Stanley 
himself  had  been  called  "The  Fallen  Star"  after  his 
banishment  from  the  Court  of  King  James  for  some 
wild  escapade  of  gallantry  when  he  was  but  turned  of 
twenty-two. 

Thus  it  was  that  from  this  old  tradition  the 
priceless  heirloom  of  the  family  was  called  "The  Charm 
Against  Harm"  and  eke  "The  Diamond  from  the 
Sky." 

Colonel  Arthur  Stanley,  of  Virginia,  as  head  of  the 
elder  American  branch  of  the  family,  held  possession 
of  the  treasured  heirloom.  But  he  had  no  son  to  suc 
ceed  to  the  Earldom  in  England.  He  was  married  to 
a  fair  young  wife  who  expected  shortly  to  become  a 
mother.  Were  this  child  a  girl,  it  could  have  no  hope 
for  the  great  English  title  in  the  family,  nor  ever  to 
possess  "The  Diamond  from  the  Sky." 

On  the  other  hand,  Judge  Lamar  Stanley  had  a  son, 
a  sturdy  boy  of  three.  His  proud  wife,  equally  with 
himself,  dreamed  of  a  day  when  this  boy  should  bear 
the  honors  and  have  the  vast  estates  of  the  Stanley 
Earldom.  With  this  great  desire  for  the  title  there 
was  also  the  greater  desire  that  always  obsessed  them 
— the  desire  for  the  wonderful,  priceless  diamond. 

Such  were  the  hates,  hopes  and  ambitions  that  had 


8  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

sundered  the  Stanley  family  in  Virginia  and  such  were 
the  portentous  matters  that  hinged  upon  an  unborn 
child — this  June  day  in  1886,  when  these  two  horse 
men,  kinsmen  and  bitter  enemies,  rode  down  upon 
each  other  in  a  smiling  Virginia  lane. 

Neither  would  swerve  his  horse  a  hair's  breadth  for 
the  other.  Into  each  other,  full  tilt,  their  blooded 
horses  charged,  and  then  the  superior  horsemanship 
of  the  soldier,  skilled  in  cavalry  encounters,  told.  A 
brief  plunging  shock  of  horses  rearing  breast  to  breast, 
and  the  iron  grip  of  the  Colonel's  hands  upon  the 
rein  of  his  saddler  caused  the  well-trained  horse  to 
swerve  just  as  the  hunter  of  the  Judge  had  reared  his 
highest.  Over  went  horse  and  man  into  the  dust  of 
the  road.  With  a  mocking  laugh  and  not  deigning  to 
look  back  at  his  fallen  kinsman,  who  arose  and  cursed 
and  shook  his  fist  at  him,  Colonel  Stanley  rode  on. 

The  Judge,  discomfited  hi  the  dust,  turned  as  he 
cursed  and  kicked  at  his  horse,  to  see  if  his  fall  and 
humiliation  had  been  witnessed.  He  saw  the  dark 
face  of  a  gipsy  grinning  at  him  through  a  hedge  nearby. 
The  hedge  was  on  the  property  of  Judge  Stanley. 
This  was  the  first  thought  that  occurred  to  the  angry, 
embittered  man.  Mounted  on  his  horse  again,  he 
now  saw  a  gipsy-van  on  the  other  side  of  the  hedge. 
It  had  been  driven  through  a  gap  in  the  hedge  and  it 
was  evident  that  the  gipsies,  to  whom  the  van  be 
longed,  were  preparing  to  camp.  Judge  Stanley,  quiv 
ering  with  rage,  rode  into  the  gap  of  the  hedge  and 
hoarsely  ordered  off  the  intruders. 

"But  you  see  it  is  like  this ! "  expostulated  the  gipsy, 
"I  am  alone  here  with  my  wife,  sir;  our  people  have 


A  Heritage  of  Hate  9 

gone  on;  my  wife  is  very  sick;  we  can't  go  further, 
sir!" 

"What  do  I  care  what  ails  your  wretched  wife?" 
snarled  the  Judge.  "Drive  your  horses  off  my  land 
and  get  out  of  this  County.  If  you  even  dare  to  camp 
by  the  roadside  I  will  see  you  both  are  committed  to 
jail  for  a  long  term.  I  am  Judge  in  this  County ! " 

"Mebbe  you  are  President  of  the  United  States, 
too!"  grumbled  the  gipsy.  "As  for  camping  by  the 
roadside,  do  you  think  you  own  the  roads  because  the 
gentleman  that  just  rode  by  knocked  you  off  your 
horse  on  to  the  road?" 

Roused  to  a  burst  of  fury  at  the  impudence  of  the 
retort,  the  Judge  drove  his  horse  at  the  gipsy  and 
lashed  him  cruelly  with  the  heavy  riding  whip  he  al 
ways  carried.  A  wan  but  handsome  young  gipsy 
woman,  clutching  at  her  side  as  though  in  pain,  tot 
tered  out  from  the  van  as  though  to  protect  the  fellow 
from  the  sheer  brutality  of  the  horseman.  In  his  rage, 
and  even  in  his  calmer  moods,  Judge  Lamar  Stanley 
had  never  been  known  to  spare  man  or  woman  who 
crossed  him.  He  struck  the  gipsy  woman  across  the 
face,  leaving  a  livid  weal.  To  his  surprise,  she  never 
flinched,  but  faced  him  dauntlessly. 

"The  bitterest  disappointment  of  your  life  and  a 
death  for  you  that  will  be  a  buzzard's  feast,  for  that 
blow!"  she  said  tensely,  a  light  of  prophecy  in  her 
courageous  eyes. 

The  Judge  faltered  and  wheeled  his  horse,  but  turn 
ing  to  the  gipsy  man,  he  cursed  him  again  and  bade 
him  be  off  his  land.  Then  he  rode  on. 

Meanwhile,  Colonel  Stanley  had  ridden  to  the  vil- 


10  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

lage  of  Fairfax  and  had  halted  his  horse  at  the  gate 
of  a  pretty  cottage  that  stood  in  a  garden  of  old  fash 
ioned  flowers  somewhat  back  from  the  street.  A  sign 
by  the  gate  bore  the  words — "Dr.  Henry  Lee." 

Rising  in  his  stirrups,  the  Colonel  called,  and  at  the 
summons  the  cottage  door  opened  and  Doctor  Lee 
came  out.  The  doctor  was  an  amiable  man  of  some 
fifty  years,  inclined  to  corpulence.  His  iron  grey  hair 
and  beard  and  his  kindly  blue  eyes  gave  him  a  remark 
able  resemblance  to  his  famous  kinsman,  General  Rob 
ert  E.  Lee.  The  doctor  had  been  a  surgeon  in  the  Con 
federate  Army.  Some  ten  years  older  than  the  Col 
onel,  he  had  been  the  guardian  of  the  other. 

During  the  Civil  War,  the  Colonel  had  saved  the 
doctor's  life  by  carrying  him,  when  wounded,  back 
to  the  Confederate  lines,  under  a  galling  fire.  The 
tenderest  bonds  of  friendship  and  almost  filial  affec 
tion  existed  between  the  two. 

A  further  bond  between  them,  if  other  were  needed, 
was  the  mutual  hatred  they  bore  to  Judge  Lamar 
Stanley  who,  through  some  legal  chicanery,  had  im 
poverished  the  doctor  by  some  breach  of  confidence, 
if  not  of  trust.  The  doctor  and  the  Colonel  clasped 
hands  warmly,  and  in  answer  to  the  physician's  ques 
tion,  the  Colonel  whispered:  "Yes,  doctor,  come  at 
once!  My  wife  will  need  you  to-night." 

Then,  after  kindly  partings,  the  Colonel  rode  away 
while  the  doctor  called  to  his  colored  boy  to  get  out 
his  horse  and  gig. 

As  the  Colonel  neared  his  estates  and  was  within 
sight  of  the  broad  lawns  of  his  Colonial  mansion, 
Stanley  Hall,  a  landmark  of  the  countryside,  he  was 


A  Heritage  of  Hate  11 

aware  of  a  strange  procession  approaching.  It  was  a 
gipsy-van,  attached  to  the  back  of  which  was  a  rickety 
old  buckboard,  laden  with  pots  and  kettles  and  a  rolled- 
up  shapeless  bulk  of  canvas,  a  smoke-stained  gipsy 
tent.  On  the  driving  seat  of  the  van  were  two  figures, 
a  man  and  a  woman.  The  man  held  the  reins  of  his 
horses  loosely  and  was  looking  back  down  the  road, 
bellowing  hoarse  curses  at  a  disappearing  horseman 
who,  even  at  the  distance,  the  Colonel  recognized  as 
his  hated  cousin,  the  Judge. 

As  he  neared  the  approaching  gipsy  outfit,  the  Col 
onel,  passing  to  the  left,  saw  that  the  woman  had 
fainted  from  pain  and  weariness.  He  had  but  just 
time  to  wheel  his  horse  close  beside  the  van  and  catch 
her  as  she  was  falling  from  the  seat. 

His  quick  command  brought  the  husband's  atten 
tion  from  the  object  of  his  curses,  and  instinctively 
the  gipsy  reined  his  horses  hard  and  brought  them  to 
a  halt. 

In  a  few  words,  the  gipsy  explained  their  miserable 
situation.  The  kindly  heart  of  the  Colonel  was 
touched.  The  fainting  woman  had  now  revived  and 
was  listening  apathetically. 

"So  Judge  Stanley  has  ordered  you  off  the  earth?" 
remarked  the  Colonel.  "Well,  my  good  man,  that  little 
copse  of  woods  right  over  there,  not  far  from  my  house, 
belongs  to  me.  Camp  there  as  long  as  you  wish  and 
I  will  see  your  sick  wife  gets  every  attention.  She 
expects  a  child,  you  say?  Ah,  the  curse  of  Eve  falls 
alike  in  hut  and  mansion.  We  expect  the  same  mo 
mentous  event  at  my  house.  For  that  reason,  not  to 
mention  Judge  Stanley  has  treated  you  as  he  usually 


12  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

treats  the  helpless,  you  are  doubly  welcome.  I  will 
send  Doctor  Lee,  our  family  physician,  to  attend  your 
wife.  You  can  name  the  boy  after  me,  Arthur  Stan 
ley.  Your  name  is  Harding,  you  say?  Well,  you  know 
the  name  of  Stanley  is  a  gipsy  name,  too.  And,  by 
Jove!  So  is  the  name  of  Lee.  Why,  who  knows  we 
may  all  be  kinsfolk?" 

The  Colonel  laughed  at  the  idea  of  the  proud  Stan 
leys  of  Warwickshire  in  England  and  Fairfax  in  Vir 
ginia,  and  the  proud  Lees  also,  being  kinsfolk  of 
gipsies. 

The  gipsy  woman  now  spoke  for  the  first  time. 
"Stranger  things  than  that  have  been  and  will  be," 
she  said.  "For  your  kind  heart  I  read  your  fortune. 
A  bitter  disappointment  and  a  bitterer  triumph  over 
those  you  hate  the  most,  comes  to  you,  sir,"  she  added. 

"Well,  better  fortune  than  that  to  the  child  you  ex 
pect,"  said  the  Colonel  with  a  kindly  smile.  "And 
here  is  twenty  dollars  to  buy  Christening  clothes  and 
found  the  fortune  of  my  expected  namesake — if  it  is 
a  boy." 

"It  will  be  a  boy  and  you  will  be  aware  of  him," 
said  the  gipsy  woman,  and  she  closed  her  eyes  and 
shivered  as  in  great  pain. 

As  the  Colonel,  sitting  on  his  horse,  opened  his  wal 
let  and  extended  a  banknote  toward  the  gipsy  hus 
band,  the  look  of  intense  money  greed  on  the  face  of 
the  man  was  so  marked  and  cruel  in  its  avariciousness, 
that  the  Colonel  drew  back  his  gift  and,  rousing  the 
woman  with  a  gentle  touch,  proffered  the  banknote 
to  her. 

"I  do  not  wish  to  take  your  money,  though  you 


A  Heritage  of  Hate  13 

mean  it  well,"  said  the  gipsy  woman.  "There  is  bad 
luck  to  me  and  mine  in  money  from  great  folks.  This 
has  been  written  long  ago.  The  money  the  great  give 
to  small  folks  pays  for  things  that  money  should 
not  buy." 

"Take  it,  you  fool  woman,  when  the  kind  gentleman 
offers  it!"  snarled  the  man.  "Are  poor  gipsies  to  throw 
money,  money  that  is  offered  with  a  kind  heart,  into 
the  ditch?" 

Seeing  the  Colonel  still  offering  the  money  and  that 
he  sat  with  bared  head  as  though  to  a  great  lady,  as 
was  the  Colonel's  way  with  all  women  folk,  the  gipsy's 
wife  muttered  her  thanks  and  took  the  gift  reluctantly, 
and  the  gipsy  man,  loud  in  his  protestations  of  grati 
tude,  turned  his  horses  across  the  road  and  drove  his 
caravan  to  the  copse  of  wood  the  Colonel  had  indi 
cated  to  him. 

Bowing  again  to  the  gipsy  woman,  Colonel  Stanley 
gave  one  last  distrustful  glance  at  the  husband  and 
rode  on  his  way,  whistling  the  tune  of  an  old  Rebel 
war  song. 

Arriving  at  the  gateway  of  Stanley  Hall,  the  grand 
old  mansion  built  by  a  great-grandson  of  the  original 
forbear  of  the  family  in  America,  the  Colonel  again 
raised  his  hat  as  he  cantered  his  horse  up  the  splendid 
wide  driveway,  for  there  on  the  lawn  was  a  merry 
party  of  young  folks  of  the  first  families  of  the  neigh 
borhood  engaged  in  a  game  of  croquet  that  had  more 
romp  than  the  dignity  generally  ascribed  to  this  now 
old-fashioned  pastime. 

He  smiled  to  observe  that  his  flower-faced  young 
wife,  Esther,  in  a  garden  chair,  swaddled  in  silken 


14  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

shawls  and  carefully  attended  by  her  old  colored  nurse, 
Mammy  Lucy,  was  watching  the  game. 

At  his  approach,  the  game  broke  up  and  the  happy 
young  people  crowded  around  him  and  his  wife,  as  the 
Colonel  alighted  and  addressed  the  fair  mistress  of 
Stanley  Hall  with  tender  words  and  even  tenderer  at 
tention. 

The  negro  man-servant,  Ned,  chief  factotum  and 
butler  of  the  establishment,  appeared  on  the  piazza 
and  called  loudly  to  a  half-grown  colored  lad  to  take 
the  master's  horse. 

Then  the  young  folks  bade  their  adieus,  and  the 
Colonel  and  the  old  nurse  gently  supported  the  young 
wife  from  the  lawn  to  the  portals  of  the  great  mansion 
of  which  she  was  the  beloved  mistress. 

Although  he  desired  a  son  to  whom  he  could  be 
queath  "The  Diamond  from  the  Sky"  it  must  not  be 
thought  that  any  overwhelming  desire  for  title  or  ex 
alted  position  for  themselves  or  for  their  expected 
child  actuated  Colonel  Stanley  and  his  fair  young  wife. 
In  fact,  the  Colonel  was  not  only  contented,  but  he  was 
proud  of  his  position  as  head  of  the  Stanley  family 
in  America  and  master  of  Stanley  Hall.  It  was  only 
that  the  grasping  desire  of  his  cousin,  the  Judge, 
and  the  Judge's  upstart  ambitious  wife,  to  gain  both 
the  great  jewel  and  the  succession  to  the  English  Earl 
dom  of  Stanley,  led  the  Colonel  to  encourage  himself 
in  the  hope  his  wife  might  bear  a  son  to  cheat  his  kins 
man  foe  of  both  these  ambitions. 

For  the  proud,  elder  branch  of  the  Stanleys — the 
Lord  Stanleys  of  Warwickshire,  England — only  sur 
vived  in  the  person  of  a  testy,  old  bachelor  invalid.  As 


A  Heritage  of  Hate  15 

the  dashing  adventurer  of  three  hundred  years  ago 
had  foreseen,  a  time  had  come  when  the  noble  house 
of  Stanley  must  seek  its  perpetuation  from  the  trans 
planted  line  in  America.  The  next  of  kin  and  in  direct 
line  for  the  Earldom  of  Stanley  was  Colonel  Stanley 
of  Virginia  and,  failing  his  survivor  or  his  having  a 
son,  the  Earldom  would  go  to  his  cousin,  Judge  Stan 
ley,  or  the  Judge's  son,  Blair. 

This  was  a  matter  of  much  moment  to  all  con 
cerned,  as  has  been  stated;  and  especially  did  it  con 
cern  the  last  Lord  Stanley,  the  testy,  old  invalid.  It 
was  a  sore  point  with  him  that  he  had  always  hated 
women,  after  a  love  disappointment  in  early  manhood, 
and  had  never  married.  For  now  the  succession  would 
go  to  those  to  whom  he  sneeringly  alluded  as  his 
"Yankee  relatives." 

But  the  valuable  jewel  of  the  American  Stanleys  was 
a  comforting  thought,  in  a  measure,  to  the  old  Earl. 
Vast  as  were  the  possessions  of  the  Stanleys,  this  gem 
of  fabulous  value,  a  monarch's  ransom,  had  always 
been  in  the  possession  of  the  "Yankee  relatives"  and 
it  gave  these  "Yankee  relatives"  a  prestige  that  even 
an  Earl  might  envy.  So  there  was  comfort  in  that, 
as  has  been  said. 

For  some  time  past,  the  Earl,  through  his  attorney, 
Marmaduke  Smythe,  had  been  in  correspondence  with 
the  aforesaid  "Yankee  relatives."  Marmaduke  Smythe 
was  a  long,  lean,  lank,  dry-as-dust  British  lawyer.  He 
had  but  one  thought  in  life,  and  that  was  to  serve 
with  concise  dignity  the  Stanleys  of  Warwickshire,  as 
their  legal  representative,  both  in  his  London  office 
and  upon  such  occasions  as  elections,  marriages,  births 


16  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

and  deaths  which  called  him  down  to  Stanley  Castle, 
He,  too,  was  versed  in  full  knowledge  of  the  fame 
and  fabulous  value  of  "The  Diamond  from  the  Sky." 
He,  too,  knew  the  legends  concerning  it,  but  to  his 
timid  nature  far  off  America  was  still  a  wilderness, 
peopled  by  savages,  and  in  his  mind's  eye  he  saw  the 
American  Stanleys  half-Indian  in  appearance  and  cus 
toms,  going  around  in  buckskins,  tomahawking  each 
other  to  gain  or  guard  the  great  jewel.  Also,  in  his 
imagination,  Marmaduke  Smythe  constantly  beheld 
Colonel  Stanley,  as  what  he  called  "the  head  of  the 
tribe,"  running  amuck  through  the  jungles  of  Virginia 
uttering  war  cries  and  bearing  on  his  barbaric  breast 
the  gleaming  totem  of  the  "Yankee  relatives" — "The 
Diamond  from  the  Sky." 

So  it  had  been  with  much  trepidation  and  much 
nervous  caressing  of  his  scanty  black  sidewhiskers  that 
Marmaduke  Smythe  had  received  orders  from  his  dis 
tinguished  patron,  Cecil,  eighth  Earl  of  Stanley,  to 
depart  for  America  and  arrange  for  the  succession  with 
the  heirs  apparent  and  prospective  among  the  "Yankee 
relatives." 

In  the  preliminary  correspondence  concerning  this 
matter,  Lawyer  Smythe  had  been  gratified  to  note  that 
one  of  the  Stanleys  near  of  kin  in  Virginia,  was  a 
Judge.  To  Lawyer  Smythe's  insular  British  under 
standing,  being  a  Judge  in  the  jungles  of  Virginia  was 
to  be  an  uncouth,  tobacco  eating,  hoarse-voiced,  red- 
faced  individual,  who  presided  over  such  summary 
backwoods  punitive  affairs  as  hasty  lynchings  and 
burnings  at  the  stake  "among  the  aborigines"  and 
white  "border  ruffians."  For  minor  offenses,  such  as 


A  Heritage  of  Hate  17 

slicing  off  a  prominent  citizen's  ears,  a  Virginia  Judge, 
in  the  English  lawyer's  opinion,  might  exercise  clem 
ency  to  the  extent  of  decreeing  tar  and  feathers  for  the 
offender. 

Thus  it  was,  with  heavy  heart  and  luggage  in  keep 
ing,  that  Lawyer  Smythe  set  out  for  barbarous  America 
to  confer  with  Lord  Stanley's  "Yankee  relatives."  But 
he  first  purchased  an  elephant  rifle  and  a  brace  of 
heavy  revolvers,  which  the  London  gunsmith  assured 
him  were  the  proper  thing  to  arm  one's  self  with  for  the 
jungles  of  Virginia. 

The  feud  and  its  consequent  bitter  enmities  between 
Colonel  Stanley  and  Judge  Lamar  Stanley  were  hardly 
grasped  by  the  testy  old  Earl  and  his  timid  London 
lawyer.  What  they  did  know  of  it  but  further  con 
firmed  the  opinion  of  both  as  to  the  savage  manners 
and  customs  of  the  "Yankee  relatives."  But  the  legal 
mind  of  Marmaduke  Smythe  prompted  him  to  rely 
mostly  upon  the  far  off  Virginia  Judge,  crude  and  rude 
as  the  British  lawyer  imagined  the  jungle-jurist  in  Vir 
ginia  must  be,  and  he  determined  to  place  himself  in 
contact  with  the  Judge  rather  than  with  what  he 
thought  might  be  the  more  strenuous  and  militant 
head  of  the  American  Stanleys,  the  ex-rebel  soldier, 
Colonel  Arthur  Stanley. 

The  lawyer  had  written  to  the  Judge  and,  hard  upon 
the  heels  of  his  letter,  he  had  come.  His  British  preju 
dices,  his  long  held  insular  opinions,  gained  through 
awed  reading  of  Fenimore  Cooper's  novels,  would  not 
permit  him  to  admit  that  New  York  was  a  civilized 
city.  He  admitted  to  himself  it  was  a  large  place  of 
grotesquely  high  buildings,  populated  with  hurrying 


18  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

persons,  as  he  viewed  it  on  his  arrival  there;  though 
he  promptly  concluded  that  New  York  was  an  English 
settlement,  in  which  climatic  conditions  had  instilled 
the  haste  and  bustle  he  found  so  little  to  his  liking. 

"I  had  better  keep  my  pistols  and  elephant  rifle  at 
hand,"  he  said  to  himself,  "for  in  a  day  or  so,  I  shall 
be  on  the  veldt  or  rather  in  the  jungles  of  Virginia." 

In  such  a  state  of  mind  he  had  arrived  at  the  little 
railroad  station  of  Fairfax,  late  in  the  afternoon  of  the 
day  on  which  the  Judge  and  the  Colonel  had  encoun 
tered  Matt  Harding  and  his  wife,  Hagar;  the  after 
noon  that  preceded  the  night  when  it  was  decreed  a 
child  would  be  born  to  the  proud  master  of  Stanley 
Hall,  and  also  a  child  in  a  gipsy  tent  in  the  woods 
nearby.  From  these  births,  with  an  Earldom  at  stake, 
and  an  ownership  of  one  of  the  most  famous  jewels  of 
the  world  concerned,  there  were  to  follow  many  strange 
decrees  of  destiny,  of  which  no  man,  much  less  a  be 
wildered  lawyer  from  London,  could  foretell. 

All  that  Marmaduke  Smythe  saw  when  he  alighted 
from  the  slow,  local  train,  when  his  luggage  had  been 
deposited  beside  him  by  unceremonious  hands,  was  a 
shambling  negro,  with  a  private  mail  pouch  attached 
to  a  strap  over  his  ragged  shoulder.  This  negro  was 
joined  by  several  other  messengers  of  his  sort,  who 
were  likewise  busy  receiving  mail  and  packages  from 
the  station  agent  who  was  evidently  also  the  local  post 
master. 

Lawyer  Smythe  looked  up  and  down  the  platform 
expecting  that  cowboys  or  other  uncouth  backwoods 
persons  would  be  there  to  convey  him  to  Judge  Stan 
ley's  ranch.  He  finally  summoned  up  courage  to  make 


A  Heritage  of  Hate  19 

inquiries  of  the  station  agent,  as  that  individual  was 
locking  up  for  the  night. 

"Judge  Stanley?"  repeated  the  station  agent.  "Why, 
his  nigger,  Zeke,  just  got  the  Judge's  mail  and  has 
gone.  The  Judge  couldn't  have  been  expecting  any 
body  or  he  would  have  sent  his  carriage.  But  mebbe, 
Zeke  will  tell  him  he  saw  you,  and  you  will  be  sent  for. 
You  had  better  wait  right  here."  And  he  turned  the 
key  in  the  padlock  on  the  station  door  and  trudged 
away,  leaving  the  bewildered  lawyer  wondering  if  wild 
beasts  might  be  about,  for  the  blackamoors,  as  he  des 
ignated  the  darkies  he  had  seen,  might  possibly  be  at 
war,  with  savage  reprisals,  with  the  native  red  In 
dians,  who  undoubtedly  were  lurking  somewhere  near 
in  ambush. 


The  summer  sun  sank  slowly  behind  the  Blue 
Ridge  in  crimson  and  golden  glory.  The  roseate  after 
glow  fell  upon  the  flower-covered  cottage  of  the  good- 
hearted  Doctor  Henry  Lee  like  a  benediction.  The 
kindly  physician  felt  the  glamor  of  the  crimson  dusk 
as  he  came  down  the  pansy-bordered  walk  to  his  gar 
den  gate.  His  sturdy  old  sorrel  horse  stood  hitched 
to  the  good  doctor's  gig,  free  of  hitching  strap  or 
tether.  The  horse  turned  his  head  and  whinnied  af 
fectionately  as  his  bulky  master  clambered  into  the 
capacious  vehicle. 

"Yes,  Stonewall,"  said  the  doctor,  "you  are  right.  A 
physician's  horse  has  a  hard  life  in  country  practice; 
but  to-night  you  will  stable  at  Stanley  Hall,  which  is  a 
grand  old  inn  at  which  there  is  nothing  to  pay,  and  as 


20  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

the  saying  is,  there  are  'meals  at  all  hours  for  man  and 
beast.' " 

The  horse  shook  his  head  as  though  he  understood 
and  trotted  off  as  the  doctor  gathered  up  the  reins. 

In  the  somber  living  room  that  was  part  law  office 
and  chambers  of  Judge  Stanley,  the  heavy  black  wal 
nut  bookcases  looked  upon  the  Judge  and  his  equally 
stern-visaged  spouse.  The  early  Virginia  supper  was 
over,  and  the  Judge  and  his  wife  were  awaiting  the 
evening  mail  on  the  last  train  down  from  Richmond. 
In  a  few  minutes  Zeke,  the  handy  colored  man  of  the 
household,  entered  with  the  Judge's  mail-bag.  From 
the  usual  correspondence  on  legal  and  other  matters  the 
Judge  was  expecting,  he  eagerly  separated  a  large  form 
ally  addressed  envelope  bearing  English  stamps  and 
sealed  at  the  back  with  a  large  splotch  of  dark  red  wax. 

The  Judge  opened  it,  glanced  at  it  hurriedly  and 
handed  it  to  his  wife,  remarking  as  he  did  so:  "It  is 
from  the  Earl's  lawyer,  Marmaduke  Smythe,  you  see. 
He  says  he  may  arrive  at  about  the  same  time  this 
letter  reaches  us.  Why  doesn't  the  fool  telegraph  if 
he  has  reached  New  York?  It  would  be  just  like  an 
English  lawyer  to  come  by  the  same  train  that  brings 
his  own  letter." 

Then  Judge  Stanley  turned  to  the  slouchy  negro  who 
lingered  by  the  door,  expectant  of  further  orders.  "Did 
you  see  a  strange  man  get  off  the  train — looked  like  an 
undertaker — all  English  lawyers  do?"  he  asked  the 
negro. 

"Yes,  suh,  a  strange  gemman  did  get  off  de  train," 
replied  the  negro,  "but  he  didn't  say  nuffin  to  me,  and 
I  didn't  say  nuffin  to  him!" 


A  Heritage  of  Hate  21 

"You  black  scoundrel!"  roared  the  Judge.  "That 
gentleman  has  come  all  the  way  from  England  to  see 
me  on  an  important  matter.  Get  my  horse  and  put  a 
saddle  on  the  black  mare.  I  will  go  to  the  station  for 
him  myself!" 

Then,  as  the  negro  lingered,  the  Judge's  words  sink 
ing  slowly  into  his  dull  mind,  his  irate  master  seized 
his  riding  whip  which  was  lying  near,  and  drove  the 
darkey  from  the  room  with  blows. 

At  Stanley  Hall,  in  the  old  Colonial  bedroom  of  the 
mistress  of  the  house,  the  colored  nurse,  Lucy,  was 
ministering  to  her  mistress  while  Colonel  Stanley  stood 
by  solicitously  confirming  the  old  colored  mammy's 
words  with  affirmative  nods. 

"Yes,  my  honey,  de  doctor  will  be  here  any  minute," 
the  nurse  was  saying.  "Ain't  de  Colonel  jest  back 
from  goin'  after  him?  Bless  my  soul,  honey,  dere  come 
Doctor  Lee  hisself,  drivin'  up  wid  dat  ole  red  hoss, 
Stonewall.  Why,  honey,  dat  ole  hoss  Stonewall  knows 
all  about  doctorin'  jest  as  well  as  anybody.  When  a 
nigger  is  sick  he  don't  call  Doctor  Lee,  he  jes'  go  ax  dat 
ole  red  hoss,  Stonewall,  what  ail  him.  An'  dat  ole  hoss 
jes'  shake  his  head  an'  neighs,  which  say  as  plain  as 
words — 'Go  to  work,  nigger,  go  to  work !  Dat's  all  dat 
ail  you,  laziness ! ' ' 

The  Colonel's  wife  smiled  faintly  and  returned  the 
affectionate  hand-pat  of  the  faithful  old  nurse,  and 
lifted  her  fair  face  as  the  Colonel  bent  over  to  kiss  it. 
The  old  nurse  softly  bustled  to  the  door  and  admitted 
the  doctor  who  in  his  kindly  mellow  voice  was  soon 
reassuring  those  present,  and  particularly  his  fair,  frail 
patient,  that  all  would  be  well. 


22  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

In  the  copse  of  woods,  hardly  farther  than  a  stone's 
throw  from  the  mansion,  night  was  falling  darkly  with 
the  mutterings  of  an  approaching  storm.  Over  a 
smouldering  fire  crouched  Matt  Harding,  the  gipsy, 
puffing  at  his  short  black  pipe.  A  cry  of  pain  from  the 
weather-stained  tent  nearby  roused  the  man,  and  he 
arose  and  sullenly  walked  over  and  entered  the  shabby 
shelter. 

In  a  few  moments  he  emerged  and  hurried  rapidly 
in  the  direction  of  Stanley  Hall.  As  he  rapped  with 
the  knocker  at  the  great  door  of  the  mansion,  Ned, 
the  colored  butler,  opened  it,  throwing  a  glare  of  yel 
low  light  upon  the  sinister  face  of  the  gipsy  from  the 
prismed  hall  chandelier. 

"You  can't  see  nobody  in  this  house,  Mister  Man!" 
said  the  negro  butler  somewhat  gruffly,  when  Matt 
Harding  had  stated  his  errand.  "I  don't  like  your 
looks  nohow,"  the  butler  added  under  his  breath. 

"But  I  tell  you,  Colonel  Stanley  promised  me  his 
doctor  would  be  here  to-night  and  that  he  would  at 
tend  my  wife.  She  needs  the  doctor  now.  It's  a  mat 
ter  of  life  and  death.  And  it's  bad  luck  when  a  gipsy 
dies  without  being  able  to  face  the  rising  sun." 

"De  Colonel's  allus  doin'  foolish  kindnesses  fo'  po' 
white  trash,"  grumbled  the  darkey  as  he  shut  the  door 
on  the  strange  caller  and  went  reluctantly  to  bear  his 
message. 

Mammy  Lucy  was  also  indignant,  and  vented  her 
objections  in  suppressed  whispers  when  Ned  came  at 
the  chamber  door  with  word  of  the  caller  for  the  doc 
tor.  But  the  physician  was  positive  that  no  harm 
would  come  from  his  absence  for  an  hour  or  so,  and 


A  Heritage  of  Hate  23 

hastened  away  on  his  errand  of  mercy  to  the  woman 
of  the  hedges. 

At  the  little  station  of  Fairfax,  meanwhile,  the  now 
frightened  London  lawyer  was  wondering  whether  he 
should  load  and  cock  his  elephant  rifle  and  fortify  him 
self  behind  his  luggage.  Already  he  had  strapped  the 
cartridge  belt  that  held  the  holsters  of  the  two  great 
pistols  around  his  spare  form.  "  'England/  "  he  said 
to  himself,  "  'expects  every  man  to  do  his  duty.'  I  hear 
the  war  cries  of  the  savage  redskins  rising  round  me 
on  all  sides  in  the  darkness!  But  I  will  sell  my  life 
dearly!" 

The  war  cries  in  question  arose  from  the  adjacent 
marshes  where  a  chorus  of  croaking  bullfrogs  were 
making  the  night  hideous. 

"Ha!  The  Iroquois  chief  approaches  on  horse 
back!"  murmured  the  shivering  Englishman.  "I  must 
be  careful  of  treachery.  If  he  comes  to  parley,  all  may 
be  well,  for,  I  jolly  well  was  thoughtful  enough  to 
bring  a  bag  of  beads  and  trinkets  to  placate  the 
aborigines ! " 

As  the  beat  of  the  horse  hoofs  drew  nearer,  the  Eng 
lish  lawyer  rose  with  levelled  rifle  and  cried:  "Halt! 
Who  goes  there?  Friend  or  foe?"  Then  he  stepped 
back  a  pace  and  promptly  fell  over  his  luggage,  dis 
charging  the  elephant  gun  harmlessly  in  the  air. 

The  approaching  horseman  was  none  other  than 
Judge  Lamar  Stanley,  leading  the  spare  horse  for  his 
visitor.  The  saturnine  Judge  was  quick  to  realize  the 
situation.  He  laughed  grimly  as  he  called  out:  "It's 
a  friend,  don't  shoot  again!"  And  then  he  rode  up  to 
the  platform  and  introduced  himself  to  the  English- 


24  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

man  and  explained  matters  to  the  latter's  satisfaction. 
Then  the  Judge  fastened  the  luggage  of  his  visitor  to 
the  two  saddle  horses,  personally  taking  charge  of  the 
cumbersome  and  most  dangerous  elephant  rifle.  It  was 
well  he  did  so,  because  the  awkward,  office-bred  Eng 
lishman  fell  off  his  horse  in  getting  into  the  saddle  and 
twice  more  upon  the  journey  to  the  Judge's  home,  and 
this  is  not  counting  his  falling  off  the  horse  in  en 
deavoring  to  alight  at  the  Judge's  piazza,. 

In  the  copse  of  wood,  the  pattering  night  rain  fell 
upon  the  gipsy  tent.  But  unmindful  of  the  storm  nor 
heeding  the  lightning  flashes  that  lit  up  the  gloomy 
scene,  Matt  Harding  crouched  by  the  fire  smoking  and 
ruminating  on  what  he  deemed  his  unlucky  situation, 
with  the  stork  inside  his  tent  and  the  wolf  of  poverty 
lurking  at  its  door. 

The  storm  passed  as  quickly  as  it  had  come,  and  the 
moon  shone  out  refulgently.  The  flap  of  the  tent 
opened  and  the  bulky  form  of  the  good  doctor  was 
seen  in  the  moonlight.  He  held  a  small,  swaddled  ob 
ject  in  his  arms.  The  gipsy  rose  and  skulked  to 
ward  him. 

"Matt  Harding,"  said  Doctor  Lee  impressively,  "the 
storm  has  passed  with  the  miracle  of  birth;  and  you 
may  say,  as  was  said  of  old :  'Unto  us  a  child  is  born, 
unto  us  a  son  is  given!' ' 

"Them's  fine  words  for  rich  folk,"  grumbled  the 
gipsy  gruffly,  "to  me  it  don't  mean  nothing  but  an 
other  mouth  to  feed." 

The  doctor  regarded  the  man  with  such  a  look  of 
sternness  on  his  usually  mild  face,  that  the  gipsy  mut 
tered  he  meant  no  harm  but  having  children  was  hard 


A  Heritage  of  Hate  25 

on  poor  folks.  Then  he  gingerly  took  the  child  from 
the  doctor  and  entered  the  tent  with  it,  after  prom 
ising  the  departing  physician  to  take  good  care  of  it 
and  its  mother. 

The  doctor  hurried  back  to  Stanley  Hall  where  all 
were  impatiently  awaiting  him.  He  smiled  reassur 
ingly  at  the  Colonel's  wife,  the  Colonel  and  the  nurse. 

"A  fine  boy  has  been  born  to  the  gipsy  woman,"  he 
said.  "It  seems  an  omen  of  like  good  luck  to  Stanley 
Hall.  We  may  expect  a  little  Earl  to  be  born  here  this 
night,"  he  added  gently. 

The  Colonel's  wife  shook  her  head  and  smiled  back 
at  the  doctor,  and  the  Colonel  spoke  quickly:  "I 
have  no  ambitions  for  any  title  for  a  son  of  mine,"  he 
said.  "But  I  wish  for  a  boy  if  but  to  thwart  my  cousin 
Lamar  Stanley,  and  then,  too,  'The  Diamond  from 
the  Sky'  will  pass  from  Stanley  Hall,  where  it  has 
been  held  over  a  century  and  a  half,  in  case  a  son  is 
never  born  to  us.  I  would  rather  see  Judge  Stanley  or 
his  son,  the  little  boy  Blair,  succeed  to  the  Earldom  of 
Stanley,  but  I  could  not  rest  in  my  grave  if  I  knew 
either  that  villainous  scoundrel  or  any  child  of  his 
possessed  the  jewel!" 

The  Colonel's  wife  sighed  and  a  tear  came  to  her 
eyes.  The  old  nurse  and  Doctor  Lee  regarded  her  and 
the  Colonel  sadly.  A  bitter  expression  crept  into  the 
face  of  the  negro  woman  at  the  mention  of  Judge 
Stanley's  name. 

"Don't  you  worry,  honey,"  she  said  softly  to  her 
mistress,  "an'  don't  you  worry  either,  Colonel!  De 
good  Lawd  don't  intend  no  luck  for  Jedge  Lamar  Stan 
ley.  I  was  a  slave  gal  on  his  father's  place  when  de 


26  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

Jedge  was  a  young  man.  He  killed  my  brother  like  a 
dog,  an'  he  had  me  beat  insensible  when  I  called  him 
'Cain.' " 

If  ears  burn  when  we  are  discussed  in  our  absence, 
the  ears  of  Judge  Stanley  should  have  been  afire,  as  he 
sat  in  his  living  room  with  his  wife  and  the  English 
lawyer,  as  the  clock  struck  midnight.  But  if  his  ears 
burned,  he  gave  no  sign  but  impatiently  consulted  his 
watch  and  looked  at  the  clock.  "We  should  have  word 
by  now,"  said  the  Judge.  "He  knows  it  is  the  family 
law  of  the  Stanleys  that  a  birth  of  an  heir  to  The 
Diamond  from  the  Sky'  and  to  the  Earldom  must  both 
be  verified  by  the  next  of  kin  and  the  family  lawyer. 
He  has  sent  no  word!" 

"I'll  tell  you  why,"  spoke  up  the  Judge's  wife 
harshly.  "A  girl  has  been  born  at  Stanley  Hall.  I 
know  it!" 

"That,  too,  must  be  verified,"  said  the  English  law 
yer  mildly,  as  he  fumbled  at  his  scanty  sidewhiskers. 

The  Judge's  wife  had  spoken  better  than  she  knew. 
A  girl  child  had  been  born  at  Stanley  Hall  at  mid 
night.  The  Colonel  had  blanched  at  the  news,  but  the 
young  mother  had  smiled  and  called  her  husband  to 
bring  "The  Diamond  from  the  Sky."  Reluctantly  he 
brought  the  precious  heirloom,  and  the  mother  with 
her  own  weak  hands,  placed  the  chain  and  the  locket 
that  contained  the  jewel  around  the  neck  of  her  new 
born  daughter. 

"She  is  heir  to  Stanley  Hall,  at  least,"  murmured 
the  mother,  weakly,  "and  until  you  die,"  she  added, 
turning  to  the  Colonel,  "she  may  possess  it  as  a 


A  Heritage  of  Hate  27 

'Charm  Against  Harm/  as  the  Stanleys  of  our  branch 
have  always  called  it." 

Then  as  the  Colonel  and  the  doctor  turned  away 
to  hide  their  tears,  at  the  pathos  of  her  words,  and  as 
the  old  nurse  busied  herself  at  the  other  end  of  the 
room,  the  young  mother  drew  a  slip  of  folded  paper 
from  beneath  her  pillow  and,  opening  the  secret  catch 
at  the  back  of  the  locket,  placed  a  mother's  last  mes 
sage  unnoticed  beneath  the  jewel,  murmuring  as  she 
did  so,  "  'a  charm  against  harm/  my  little  daughter,  'a 
charm  against  harm/  '  And  then  she  sank  back  upon 
her  pillow,  her  babe  upon  her  breast,  and  on  the  breast 
of  the  babe,  "The  Diamond  from  the  Sky"  gleamed  like 
a  star  in  the  lamp-light. 

The  old  nurse  turned  and  gazed  fixedly  at  her  mis 
tress;  then,  with  a  scream  of  grief  and  terror,  she 
threw  herself  beside  the  babe  and  mother.  "She  is 
dead!"  shrieked  the  nurse.  "My  sweet  mistress  is 
dead!"  It  was  true,  this  gentle  soul  had  passed. 

In  the  library,  a  half  hour  later,  Doctor  Lee  stood 
over  the  shattered  Colonel.  "Listen  to  the  truth," 
said  the  doctor.  "It  is  idle  for  you  to  rave.  I  have 
told  you  before,  you  have  aneurism  of  the  heart  and 
another  attack  like  this  may  be  your  death.  You  can 
not  hope  to  live  to  marry  a  wife  who  may  yet  bear 
you  a  son." 

"I  will  never  marry  again!"  cried  Colonel  Stanley 
in  anguish.  "I  have  loved  but  one  woman,  could  love 
but  one  woman,  and  she  is  dead !  But,  by  Heavens,  I 
will  cheat  Lamar  Stanley  and  all  his  brood!  I  have 
five  thousand  dollars  in  yonder  safe.  I  will  buy  the 
male  child  born  to  the  gipsy  woman.  I  will  hide  away 


28  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

my  own  flesh  and  blood,  my  little  daughter,  and  have 
her  reared  in  secret;  and  the  gipsy's  brat,  at  my  death, 
shall  be  the  Earl  of  Stanley  in  England  and  possess 
'The  Diamond  from  the  Sky.'  That  will  be  fine  for 
Lamar  Stanley  and  his  vermin  offspring!"  and  he 
laughed  and  shook  his  hands  in  bitter  rage. 

Seeing  that  the  doctor  regarded  him  incredulously, 
the  Colonel  feverishly  continued :  "I  mean  it,  and  you 
must  help  me.  You  hate  Lamar  Stanley,  for  he  ruined 
you.  Mammy  Lucy  hates  him,  he  killed  her  twin 
brother  in  cold  blood.  Come!"  and  he  strode  to  the 
strongbox,  and  took  a  mass  of  banknotes  and  a  canvas 
bag  of  gold  coin  from  it. 

In  the  glow  of  the  camp-fire,  Matt  Harding  gazed 
greedily  at  the  wealth — beyond  his  wildest  dreams — 
that  Colonel  Stanley  had  roused  him  from  his  fitful 
slumber  to  pour  into  his  lap.  The  gipsy  did  not  count 
the  gold  or  banknotes;  but,  swiftly  gathering  the  im 
port  of  the  proffered  bargain,  he  crammed  the  money 
in  the  bosom  of  his  ragged  shirt  and  crept  to  the  tent. 

Hagar,  roused  from  her  fevered  dreams,  felt  her  babe 
being  lifted  from  her  bosom  and  instinctively  clutched 
for  her  child.  The  brutal  gipsy  seized  her  by  the  throat 
and,  as  she  feebly  struggled,  he  gagged  and  bound  her 
as  hastily  as  he  might,  and  then  emerged  panting  from 
the  tent,  carrying  the  swaddled  babe  which  he  handed 
to  the  Colonel  and  the  doctor. 

"Does  my  wife  object?"  he  repeated  the  doctor's 
question.  "Why,  say,  Governors,  she  would  sell  every 
child  she  expects  to  have  for  half  the  money.  We'll  be 
twenty  miles  away  by  sunrise,  and  fifty  miles  more  by 


A  Heritage  of  Hate  29 

another  day.  We'll  be  gipsy  kings  and  queens,  and 
you'll  never  hear  of  us  again!" 

Back  at  Stanley  Hall,  the  doctor  and  the  Colonel 
entered  secretly  by  the  library  window  and  bore  the 
babe  upstairs  to  the  waiting  nurse.  Reluctantly,  and 
yet  resolved  like  all  the  rest,  the  faithful  colored  nurse 
arrayed  the  gipsy  child  in  fine  linen  and  hung  about 
its  neck  the  great  diamond,  while  the  little  daughter, 
born  to  Stanley  Hall,  whimpered  beside  its  fair  dead 
mother.  Then  Ned,  the  old  colored  butler,  was  de 
spatched  to  Judge  Stanley's  house  with  word  to  come 
and  bring  the  English  lawyer — as  a  son  and  heir  was 
born  at  Stanley  Hall. 

It  was  a  strange  group  that  gathered  in  the  Colonel's 
library.  The  English  lawyer  and  the  grim,  bitterly 
disappointed  Judge,  both  silently  facing  Doctor  Lee 
and  Colonel  Stanley.  A  pull  at  the  bell-rope,  and  the 
weeping  colored  nurse  entered,  bearing  the  black- 
haired,  dark-eyed  babe,  a  male  child  in  Stanley  Hall, 
presumptive  heir  to  an  English  Earldom.  Blazing  on 
its  breast  was  "The  Diamond  from  the  Sky." 

Over  the  gipsy  camp-fire,  within  the  sound  of  a  hu 
man  call  from  Stanley  Hall,  a  bereft  and  frenzied 
mother  tore  herself  loose  from  her  bonds.  Like  a 
tigress  she  threw  herself  upon  her  husband  and  de 
manded  her  child.  When  he  told  her  of  the  bargain 
and  showed  her  the  money  that  came  from  it,  she 
cursed  him  and  the  gold  and,  seizing  a  jagged  burning 
billet  from  the  fire,  she  struck  him  down  and  leaving 
him  prone  on  the  ground  she  rushed  to  Stanley  Hall 
to  regain  her  firstborn. 

The  gipsy  roused  himself  from  the  stunning  blow 


30  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

and  hastened  after  her  ere  she  could  spoil  his  greedy 
schemes.  The  great  door  of  Stanley  Hall  stood  ajar; 
for  a  moment  Hagar  swayed  faintly  at  the  portal. 
Then  she  staggered  in  and  down  the  spacious  hall  to 
the  door  of  the  library,  guided  by  the  sound  of  men's 
voices  and  the  cries  of  a  child,  her  child!  Her  hands 
grasped  the  knob  of  the  door  and  softly  and  silently 
she  pushed  it  open,  just  as  her  gipsy  husband  seized 
her  from  behind. 

The  backs  of  the  Judge,  the  English  lawyer,  the 
doctor  and  the  nurse  were  to  the  silently  struggling 
gipsies,  but  Colonel  Stanley  stood  on  the  other  side  of 
the  library  table  facing  the  door. 

"Yes,"  he  was  saying,  "there  is  the  newborn  baby, 
a  son,  do  you  hear,  a  son!"  And  then  his  eyes  opened 
wide  with  horror,  for  there,  struggling  at  the  open  door, 
he  saw  the  gipsy  woman  and  her  husband.  The  man's 
hand  was  over  the  woman's  mouth,  and  with  every  ef 
fort  he  sought  to  strangle  her  to  silence  and  close  the 
door. 

Colonel  Stanley  clutched  at  his  heart  and  fell  for 
ward  senseless  across  the  library  table! 


CHAPTER  II 

"AN  EYE   FOR   AN   EYE" 

AS  Colonel  Stanley  fell  unconscious  across  the 
library  table,  Matt  Harding  tensely,  but 
silently,  closed  the  library  door  from  the  out 
side.  He  held  his  right  hand  tightly  over  the 
mouth  of  Hagar,  thus  preventing  the  weak  and  an 
guished  mother  from  making  an  outcry,  as  before  her 
eyes,  ere  the  door  closed  on  the  scene,  she  beheld 
her  boy,  her  firstborn,  arrayed  in  fine  linen,  a  great 
jewel  glowing  on  his  little  breast,  the  centre  of  some 
strange  aristocratic  rite  or  ceremony. 

So  silent  had  been  the  struggle  in  the  hall,  that 
while  the  keen  ears  of  Judge  Stanley  had  heard  but  a 
slight  rustle  and  a  gasp,  his  attention  had  been  so" 
taken  up  with  the  anguish  on  the  face  of  his  kinsman 
enemy,  as  the  Colonel  tottered  and  fell  face  forward 
on  the  table,  that  the  Judge  had  hardly  heeded  these 
extraneous  sounds. 

As  for  Marmaduke  Smythe,  the  timid  and  bewil 
dered  representative  of  the  Earl  of  Stanley,  he, 
like  the  Judge,  was  facing  the  swooning  Colonel 
and  also  was  unaware  of  the  silent  struggle  which  had 
been  going  on  in  the  hallway,  the  struggle  that  had 
caused  Colonel  Stanley  to  swoon,  because  he  saw,  in  his 
mind's  eye,  the  baring  of  his  plot,  his  own  disgrace  at 

31 


32  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

undertaking  it  and  worst  of  all,  the  triumph  of  his 
enemy  of  blood ! 

Like  a  stoic,  Mammy  Lucy,  holding  the  false  heir, 
had  never  stirred  or  changed  attitude,  and  meanwhile, 
Doctor  Lee  stood  bending  over  the  Colonel,  and  with 
all  his  skill  sought  to  revive  the  stricken  man. 

Down  the  hall  to  the  great  open  doorway,  Matt 
Harding  bore  his  struggling,  silenced  wife.  The  bank 
notes  in  his  bosom,  the  price  of  the  sale  of  his  own 
flesh  and  blood,  rustled,  and  the  gold  coins  clinked  in 
the  dirty  pouch  in  his  shirt,  as  he  bore  away  the 
frenzied,  half-strangled  Hagar.  By  the  sheer  force  of 
his  brutal  strength,  the  gipsy  carried  the  woman  to 
the  little  copse  where  their  meager  camp  was  pitched. 
Here  he  bound  her  with  ropes  to  the  seat  of  the  van, 
gagged  her  with  his  neckerchief,  and  then  hitched  his 
horses  and  drove  off  toward  the  dawn. 

In  the  library,  the  ministrations  of  Doctor  Lee  had 
revived  Colonel  Stanley.  "Brace  yourself!"  the  doctor 
whispered.  "Remember  your  heart  will  not  stand 
much  of  this." 

"I  am  all  right  now,"  said  Colonel  Stanley,  moisten 
ing  his  lips.  "You,  Doctor,  will  certify  that  this  is  a 
male  child,  and  I  will  attest  that  he  is  my  son,  heir  at 
my  death  to  'The  Diamond  from  the  Sky'  and  also  heir 
to  the  Earldom  of  Stanley  in  like  event,  at  the  death 
of  the  present  Earl." 

The  English  lawyer  fumbled  in  his  brief-bag  and 
produced  the  already  drawn-up  Document  of  Attesta 
tion.  With  a  firm  hand,  but  giving  the  Colonel  a  sad 
but  searching  glance,  as  he  did  so,  Doctor  Lee  signed 
the  paper  as  physician  in  attendance  at  the  birth.  The 


"An  Eye  for  an  Eye"  33 

Colonel  signed  as  father  of  "Arthur  Stanley  2nd  of 
Stanley  Hall,  Virginia."  And  then  it  was  the  turn  of 
Judge  Stanley  to  sign  as  next  of  kin.  For  a  minute  he 
faltered,  a  look  of  hatred  on  his  face,  and  then  he  af 
fixed  his  signature  and  threw  down  the  pen  with  a 
bitter  curse  for  what  he  did. 

A  mocking  smile  played  upon  the  face  of  Colonel 
Stanley.  For  one  brief  moment  he  forgot  the  flower 
face  of  the  beloved  dead  woman  upstairs.  For  one 
brief  moment  he  forgot  the  girl  child  born  of  their 
deep  love,  and  whose  birthright  he  had  taken  away  in 
the  fulfillment  of  his  hate  for  his  disappointed  and 
chagrined  kinsman. 

A  few  stilted  farewells  and  perfunctory  congratula 
tions  ensued  between  the  still  embarrassed  Marmaduke 
Smythe,  and  the  Colonel  and  the  doctor.  There  was 
some  evil  brooding  in  the  air,  and  the  aura  of  hate  was 
felt  by  the  English  man  of  law. 

"It  is  only  a  veneer  of  civilization  that  thinly  covers 
these  crude  Yankees,  in  these  wild  parts,"  thought  the 
English  lawyer,  as  he  awkwardly  mounted  his  horse 
and  rode  down  the  darkened  lanes  behind  the  gloomy 
Judge.  "They  jolly  well  would  tomahawk  and  burn 
each  other  at  the  stake  if  they  had  opportunity."  And 
he  mumbled  to  himself:  "I  shall  start  back  to  London 
to-morrow,  if  I  can,  and  deuced  glad  of  it!" 


Uneventfully  three  years  went  their  round.  The 
supposititious  heir  at  Stanley  Hall  grew  to  be  a  sturdy, 
little  boy  of  handsome  appearance,  but  of  violent  and 
ungovernable  temper  even  as  a  child. 


34  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

On  the  little  girl,  Esther,  reared  in  secrecy  in  a  closed 
chamber  in  the  great  house,  and  ministered  to  only  by 
the  silent  and  faithful  Mammy  Lucy,  the  Colonel  lav 
ished  and  outpoured  the  great  and  growing  love  and 
affection  of  his  invalided  and  aging  years.  For  already 
the  hand  of  death  was  plain  upon  him,  and  every  day 
he  rode  to  the  cross  upon  the  grave  of  his  dead  wife 
and  prayed  that  when  he  met  her  face  to  face  she 
would  forgive  him — in  the  great  tenderness  of  the  love 
they  had  borne  each  other  in  life — for  the  wrong  he 
had  done  their  child. 

There  was  another  sorrow  that  weighed  him  down — 
the  fear  of  the  Colonel  that  the  wild  gipsy  blood  in  the 
putative  heir  might  bring  him  to  courses  that  would 
disgrace  the  Stanley  name. 

And  so  the  Colonel  drew  up  a  document,  which  he 
securely  sealed  and  placed  among  his  papers.  Upon 
the  outside  he  superscribed  it: 

"To  be  opened  in  case  my  son,  Arthur  Stanley  2nd,  ever 
does  anything  to  disgrace  the  Stanley  name." 

This  document  he  left  by  his  will  to  the  care  of  Doc 
tor  Henry  Lee,  should  the  physician  survive  him,  as 
his  executor. 

The  Colonel  had  also  realized  that  he  could  not  long 
hope  to  rear  his  beloved  little  daughter,  like  a  flower 
in  the  dark,  secretly  at  Stanley  Hall.  He  was  arrang 
ing  with  Doctor  Lee,  who  was  a  childless  widower,  that 
little  Esther  would  be  delivered  to  him  and  the  doctor 
could  give  out  the  story  it  was  an  orphan  relative  he 
had  adopted  as  his  daughter.  To  this  supposed  daugh 
ter  of  his  dearest  friend,  the  Colonel  purposed  to  will 


"An  Eye  for  an  Eye"  35 

as  much  of  his  means  as  would  have  come  to  a  girl 
child  openly  acknowledged. 

Meanwhile,  the  unhappy  young  gipsy  mother, 
Hagar,  had  been  borne  far  away  by  the  brutal  and  ever 
watchful  Matt  Harding.  His  possession  of  money  soon 
made  Harding  a  power  among  the  Romany  people  and, 
in  a  year  or  so,  he  was  ruler  of  several  tribes.  His 
principal  henchman,  Luke  Lovell,  a  recently  arrived 
English  gipsy,  aided  Matt  in  keeping  watch  and  ward 
upon  Hagar,  without  knowing  or  asking  why.  Later 
Matt  Harding  fell  upon  evil  courses  in  his  Romany 
prosperity,  and  drink  made  an  end  to  him. 

Hagar  succeeded  to  his  gipsy  wealth  and  gipsy 
power.  The  King  was  dead,  long  live  the  Queen! 
Luke  Lovell  transferred  his  allegiance  and  served  her 
well,  as  he  had  served  the  dead  Matt  Harding. 

In  far  away  Fairfax,  in  the  grim  household  of  Judge 
Lamar  Stanley,  the  shadow  of  cheated  hopes  and 
blighted  ambitions  fell  heavy  upon  the  family.  The 
proud  and  grasping  wife  and  the  tyrannical  and  ruth 
less  Judge  had  one  unifying  desire  in  common — that 
death  might  strike  the  lives  which  lay  between  Blair, 
their  only  child,  and  both  "The  Diamond  from  the 
Sky"  and  the  Stanley  English  Earldom. 

Such  was  the  state  of  affairs  when  Hagar  and  her 
tribe  came  back  to  Virginia,  three  years  after  the 
death  of  the  Colonel's  wife  and  the  substitution  of  her 
child  as  the  heir  of  Stanley. 

Leaving  her  people  camped  at  a  distance,  Hagar 
journeyed  to  the  neighborhood  of  Stanley  Hall,  and 
there  from  a  hidden  vantage  beheld,  with  bursting 


36  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

heart,  her  son  ride  forth,  the  petted  and  pampered 
Little  Master  of  Stanley  Hall. 

Colonel  Stanley,  with  the  boy,  was  riding  on  his 
daily  pilgrimage  to  the  grave  of  his  dead  wife.  The 
road  led  him  past  the  house  of  Judge  Stanley.  Look 
ing  from  his  window  after  his  enemy  and  the  little  heir 
of  the  Stanleys  on  his  pony  at  the  side  of  the  Colonel, 
the  Judge  was  surprised  to  see  a  gipsy  woman  stalking 
after  the  Colonel  and  the  boy  as  swiftly  and  as  fur 
tively  as  an  Indian  tracker.  Seizing  his  hat,  the  Judge 
silently  and  swiftly  emerged  from  his  house  and  fol 
lowed. 

By  the  gate  of  the  graveyard,  Hagar  kept  herself  out 
of  sight  whilst  she  intently  watched  the  bare-headed 
figure  of  the  Colonel  praying  by  the  grave.  She  was 
watching  so  intently  and  with  a  hungering  heart,  the 
little  boy,  that  she  was  not  aware  of  a  stealthy  foot 
step  behind  her,  nor  was  she  aware  of  the  presence  of 
the  Judge,  until  his  strong  hand  grasped  her  wrist  and 
his  harsh  voice  grated  on  her  ear:  "Why  do  you  spy 
upon  them?" 

To  the  startled  Hagar,  the  cruel  face  of  the  Judge 
was  the  face  of  a  well-remembered  enemy.  Her  ac 
count  of  justice  and  retribution  with  Colonel  Stanley 
was  between  them  alone.  She  would  have  no  confi 
dence  in  nor  dealing  with  Judge  Stanley.  For  she  knew 
instinctively  that  if  he  hated  the  Colonel,  he  equally 
hated  and  was  prepared  to  harm  the  Colonel's  supposed 
son,  her  child. 

She  did  not  struggle  or  attempt  to  free  herself  from 
the  grasp  of  the  Judge.  But  as  the  Colonel,  with  the 
little  boy,  rode  from  the  grave  toward  the  gate,  she 


"An  Eye  for  an  Eye"  37 

slipped  down  beside  the  Judge  and  hid  with  him  from 
the  observation  of  the  oncomers,  as  though  she  were 
an  accomplice  of  the  Colonel's  enemy. 

Neither  would  she  speak  in  answer  to  the  Judge's 
rapid  fire  of  questions  when  the  Colonel  and  little  Ar 
thur  had  passed  out  of  sight.  She  affected  a  sullen 
dumbness;  nor  when  the  Judge  hailed  a  passing  stock- 
ily  built  man  driving  a  buckboard,  the  constable  of  the 
district,  and  gave  her  in  charge  as  a  wandering  rnad 
woman,  would  Hagar  speak  a  word. 

That  night,  with  gross  disregard  of  legal  procedure, 
the  Judge,  alone  in  his  courtroom  with  his  creature, 
the  constable,  committed  the  silent  gipsy  woman  to  the 
county  madhouse.  He  gave  instructions  to  those  in 
charge,  through  the  constable,  that  when  the  seem 
ingly  insane  woman  spoke  or  was  ready  to  speak,  they 
should  send  for  him.  Hagar  was  taken  to  the  mad 
house,  but  no  sooner  had  she  arrived  there  than  in  a 
sudden  frenzy  of  fear  and  rage  she  screamed  and  strug 
gled  and  tried  to  escape.  The  matron  and  a  burly 
warden  overpowered  her  with  difficulty  and  placed  her 
in  a  straight- jacket  and  threw  her  upon  a  cot  in  a  cell. 
Then  they  locked  the  clanging  door  and  left  her. 

After  her  tormentors  had  departed,  a  wild  idea  seized 
Hagar.  She  staggered  to  her  feet  and  gazed  around. 
Above  her  cot,  some  eight  feet  from  the  floor  of  the 
cell,  was  a  small  barred  window.  Hagar  listened  for  a 
wrhile  at  the  heavy  oaken  door ;  then  she  backed  toward 
the  table  on  which  was  a  lighted  candle.  She  bent 
over  and  placed  herself  in  such  a  posture  that  the 
lacings  that  held  the  sleeves  of  the  straight- jacket 
were  placed  against  the  flame  of  the  candle.  The 


38  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

leather  thongs  in  the  eyelets  at  her  back  smoked  and 
burned.  With  a  great  effort,  she  parted  the  smoulder 
ing  thongs.  To  release  herself  from  the  straight- jacket, 
now  that  she  had  her  arms  free,  was  but  the  work  of  a 
few  seconds.  Mounting  the  table  she  drew  up  the 
oaken  stool,  and  with  its  sturdy  legs  she  pried  the  bars 
from  their  cemented  sockets.  The  ground  was  only 
some  ten  feet  below.  She  held  to  the  ledge  of  the 
window  a  moment  and  then  dropped.  She  struck  the 
earth  without  injury,  and  made  off  in  the  darkness,  a 
free  woman. 

On  this  very  night,  Colonel  Stanley  had  sent  for  Doc 
tor  Lee  to  take  away  the  little  girl,  Esther,  and  the  old 
nurse  was  preparing  little  Esther  for  the  night  journey. 
In  his  library,  Colonel  Stanley  gazed  in  the  lamplight 
at  the  great  jewel  and  the  sealed  document  he  had 
prepared  that  would  betray  the  Stanley  secret,  if  need 
be.  Whilst  he  sat  thus  musing,  he  heard  the  sound 
of  the  opening  of  the  long  French  window  behind  him, 
and  then  he  saw  Hagar  entering  disheveled,  panting, 
but  resolved  to  have  her  own. 

At  this  apparition  the  Colonel  arose  and  faced  the 
wild  intruder. 

"I  have  come  for  the  child!"  said  Hagar  hoarsely. 
Colonel  Stanley  felt  a  sudden  pang  through  his  heart. 
It  was  the  last  shock  the  doctor  had  foretold  for  him. 
He  gave  a  moaning  inarticulate  cry  and  sank  back  a 
dead  man! 

Hardly  knowing  what  she  did,  Hagar  swept  into  her 
bosom  "The  Diamond  from  the  Sky"  and  the  sealed 
document,  together  with  other  papers  on  the  table. 
Then  turning,  she  softly  opened  the  library  door  and 


"An  Eye  for  an  Eye"  39 

as  softly  crept  up  the  stairway.  Led  by  unerring  in 
stinct,  she  opened  the  door  upon  the  landing  and  en 
tered  the  room  where  the  child,  her  own  son,  lay 
sleeping.  She  noticed  the  elegance  of  his  surround 
ings,  as  the  risen  moon  shone  in  the  window  lighting 
it  fully. 

What  should  she  do?  If  she  left  her  child  here,  she 
would  be  cheating  the  cheaters.  What  would  be  the 
gipsy  upbringing  she  could  give  her  son  in  comparison 
to  all  that  would  be  his  as  heir  of  Stanley  Hall?  As 
she  faltered,  she  heard  footsteps  outside  and,  gazing 
out  cautiously,  beheld  the  old  colored  nurse  descending 
with  little  Esther,  the  rightful  heir  of  Stanley  Hall. 

Hagar,  following  silently,  huddled  upon  the  landing 
place  and  listened.  A  wild  shriek  arose  from  the  col 
ored  nurse  as  she  entered  the  library  and  discovered  her 
dead  master.  Then  the  bell  rang  furiously  in  the 
servants'  quarters  from  the  frantic  pull  on  the  bell-rope 
that  the  old  nurse  had  given  in  the  library.  Almost  im 
mediately  afterward  Hagar  could  hear  that  the  nurse 
had  been  joined  by  old  Ned,  the  butler. 

Just  at  this  instant,  Doctor  Lee  drove  up  outside, 
and  soon  the  great  knocker  on  the  front  door  was 
clamoring  its  iron  summons  through  the  house.  The 
two  old  servants  ran  to  the  door  and  broke  the  news 
of  the  tragedy  to  the  friend  of  the  dead  man.  Hagar 
stole  unseen  down  the  staircase  and  into  the  library 
once  more.  There,  cloaked  and  hooded,  stood  the  little 
girl  whimpering:  "Wake  up,  daddy,  and  kiss  me!" 

Hagar  paused.  "An  Eye  for  an  Eye,"  she  muttered. 
Then  lifting  the  little  girl  in  her  arms  and,  stifling  her 
cries  of  fear  and  alarm,  Hagar,  with  her  burden,  passed 


40  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

out  of  the  window  by  which  she  had  first  entered,  and 
closed  it  after  her. 

As  the  doctor  with  the  two  frightened  colored  serv 
ants  stood  over  the  dead  man  in  the  library,  and  be 
fore  the  old  nurse  had  noticed  the  absence  of  the  child, 
Hagar  had  come  around  the  mansion  to  the  front. 
Loosening  the  strap  that  held  the  doctor's  horse,  she 
entered  the  carriage,  still  holding  the  frightened  little 
girl  so  that  its  cries  were  silenced,  and  drove  away. 

The  next  morning  the  news  of  his  enemy's  death 
reached  Judge  Stanley.  With  it  were  vague  rumors 
and  whispered  suspicions.  Other  news  came,  too,  news 
of  the  escape  of  the  gipsy  mad  woman  and  the  disap 
pearance  of  Doctor  Lee's  horse  and  buggy.  The  Judge 
stayed  not  to  rejoice  at  the  death  of  his  enemy.  He 
refused  even  to  tell  his  wife  of  what  strange  business 
called  him  hence;  with  a  pistol  in  its  holster  at  his 
saddle  side  he  rode  swiftly  away. 

In  a  narrow  defile  in  the  Blue  Ridge,  Judge  Stanley 
tracked  down  his  prey.  Hagar  had  abandoned  the 
doctor's  exhausted  horse  and  the  now  broken  gig  and, 
bearing  the  child  on  her  shoulder,  was  climbing  the 
rocky  gorge,  when  she  was  aware  of  the  rattle  of  horse 
hoofs  and  heard  the  voice  of  Judge  Stanley  call  upon 
her  to  halt. 

She  turned  to  see  the  Judge  on  horseback  down  be 
low,  his  army  pistol  levelled  at  her.  She  held  up  the 
child,  not  so  much  to  shield  herself  as  that  its  pretty 
innocence  might  soften  the  hard  heart  of  the  relentless 
pursuer;  but,  whether  by  accident  or  design  will  never 
be  known,  the  Judge  fired,  the  heavy  explosion  of  the 
pistol  echoing  among  the  rocks.  The  bullet  whistled 


"An  Eye  for  an  Eye"  41 

past  the  flinching  Hagar  and  the  terrified  child.  The 
horse  reared  at  the  sound  of  the  pistol,  throwing  his 
rider,  breaking  the  neck  of  the  vengeful  Judge  and 
dashing  his  brains  out  against  a  jagged  rock. 

Raising  the  child  to  her  shoulder  again  and  support 
ing  her  there  with  her  strong  right  hand,  Hagar  looked 
down  upon  her  dead  persecutor  and  called  upon  him 
again  the  gipsy's  curse — the  Death  of  the  Vultures  she 
had  predicted  for  him  when  first  they  met. 

Then  she  climbed  over  the  summit  of  the  ridge  with 
her  precious  burden,  and  was  gone ! 


Eighteen  years  have  passed  since  Judge  Stanley's 
shattered  body  was  found  in  the  mountains,  the  seal  of 
death  upon  his  lips. 

Grown  to  manhood,  Arthur  Stanley  2nd,  master  of 
Stanley  Hall,  is  wasting  his  substance  in  riotous  living. 

And  Doctor  Henry  Lee,  oppressed  with  the  weight 
of  years,  guardian  of  the  heir  of  Stanley,  is  wondering 
what  will  the  harvest  be. 

The  old  nurse  is  dead,  as  is  also  the  old  colored  fac 
totum,  Ned.  There  is  none  alive  who  knows  what 
really  happened  on  that  tragic  night  and  in  the  tragic 
time  that  followed,  save  the  now  aged  Doctor  Lee  and 
the  gypsy  woman  whom  he  has  sought  for  secretly,  but 
in  vain,  through  all  these  years. 

While  Arthur  Stanley  2nd  carouses  with  his  cousin 
Blair  and  other  wild  companions  at  Stanley  Hall,  and 
while  Doctor  Lee  muses  in  his  study  and  wonders 
what  will  the  harvest  be,  the  harvest  is  close  at  hand. 


42  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

Fate,  weaver  of  destinies,  in  the  shape  of  Hagar,  comes 
back. 

If  the  doctor  has  wondered  if,  in  his  hate  of  one 
dead  man  and  his  love  for  another,  he  has  not  done 
wrong,  Hagar,  queen  of  the  gipsies,  wonders,  too,  if 
her  vengeance  has  not  gone  all  awry.  Esther  Stanley, 
or  as  she  is  known,  Esther  Harding,  is  a  beautiful  and 
sweetly  dispositioned  young  woman  now.  The  wild 
mother  love  Hagar  bore  for  the  son  who  was  sold  from 
her,  has  passed  to  sweet  Esther.  So  it  is  that  Hagar 
returns  to  Virginia  resolved  again  to  sacrifice  her  very 
heart.  A  tawdry  gipsy  camp  is  no  abiding  place  for  a 
fair  young  girl  of  gentle  blood. 

Hagar  knows  all  the  documents  she  took  from  Stan 
ley  Hall  when  she  abducted  Esther,  knows  them  by 
heart,  as  she  knows  every  facet  on  "The  Diamond  from 
the  Sky,"  which  she  took  that  night  from  the  dead 
hand  of  Colonel  Stanley.  Hagar  would  see  her  boy 
again  in  his  manhood.  The  wild  hope  possesses  her 
that  he  may  fall  in  love  with  Esther,  and  that  the 
secret  which  only  two  living  people  know  shall  rest 
lightly  with  the  dead,  when  Esther  is  mistress  by  mar 
riage,  if  not  by  right,  of  Stanley  Hall. 

And  so  Hagar  camps  with  her  tribe  not  far  from 
Fairfax,  and  sends  a  note  to  Doctor  Lee.  It  reads : 

"I  have  come  back  after  eighteen  years.  I  have  had 
my  revenge,  but  I  love  the  girl.  What  shall  be  done  with 
her?  HAGAR  HARDING." 

Hard  on  the  heels  of  the  returning  messenger  to  the 
gipsy  camp,  comes  Doctor  Lee.  He  is  not  surprised, 
the  aged  seldom  are.  They  have  seen  too  much. 


"An  Eye  for  an  Eye"  43 

Esther  now  learns  from  the  kindly  lips  of  the  doc 
tor  and  the  tremulous  ones  of  Hagar,  that  a  new  life 
has  opened  for  her,  that  she  must  take  her  place  in  the 
society  of  the  country  side  as  the  adopted  daughter 
of  Doctor  Lee,  as  long  ago  arranged.  This  is  all  she 
knows,  this  is  all  she  is  told,  as,  with  her  belongings, 
she  bids  a  weeping  adieu  to  the  reticent  yet  kindly 
gipsy  woman  she  has  known  as  mother  all  her  conscious 
years.  And  Esther  rides  away  as  the  doctor's  adopted 
daughter  from  the  gipsy  camp. 

But  there  was  one  thing  Doctor  Lee,  when  alone 
with  Hagar,  demanded  and  received,  and  that  was  the 
Stanley  heirloom,  "The  Diamond  from  the  Sky."  He 
will  hold  it  and  await  the  verdict  of  time. 

Hardly  had  the  doctor  departed  bearing  Esther  with 
him  openly  and  the  diamond  secretly,  when  Luke 
Lovell,  Hagar's  headman,  is  given  the  command  to 
strike  camp.  In  an  instant  all  is  bustle  and  confusion. 
Within  an  hour,  Hagar  and  her  tribe  are  gone  from 
Fairfax. 

In  half  a  year,  though  many  of  the  proud  women 
of  the  neighborhood  look  askance,  Esther,  "the  girl 
from  nowhere,"  as  she  is  called,  is  the  belle  of  the 
country  side.  The  vine-clad  porch  of  the  doctor's  old 
house  sees  nightly  gathered  there  the  young  sparks  of 
the  county. 

One  lovely  night,  a  night  in  June,  and  in  the  moon 
light  four  young  men  are  all  paying  court  to  the  happy 
Esther.  Chief  among  them  are  the  Stanley  cousins, 
Arthur  and  Blair.  Some  slight  attention  to  Blair 
rouses  Arthur  to  a  temper  of  jealousy.  Prettily  re 
buked  by  Esther,  Arthur  leaves  in  a  huff.  Then  Es- 


44  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

ther  vents  her  coquettish  displeasure  upon  the  until 
then  triumphant  Blair,  and  he,  now  angry  also,  arises 
and  departs,  leaving  the  field  to  two  swains  where  just 
previously  were  four. 

In  his  study  that  overlooks  the  garden  at  the  side, 
the  old  doctor  is  gazing  wonderingly  by  the  light  of 
his  study  lamp  at  "The  Diamond  from  the  Sky,"  and 
musing  over  the  strange  destiny  that  has  given  it  and 
Esther,  child  of  his  dearest  friends,  into  his  keeping. 

Sulkily  straying  by  the  house  in  his  jealousy  and 
anger,  Blair  Stanley  sees  the  light  gleaming  from  the 
study.  Curious,  and  not  over-nice  in  his  curiosity,  he 
peers  through  the  window.  He  starts  back,  clenching 
his  hands.  He  remembers  now  the  oft-whispered  sus 
picions  of  his  mother:  "Doctor  Lee  was  alone  with 
Colonel  Stanley  when  he  died,  who  else  but  he  has 
taken  and  hidden  away  the  Stanley  heirloom,  'The 
Diamond  from  the  Sky?'  " 

The  obsession  of  the  desire  for  this  priceless  Stanley 
heirloom  had  been  born  and  bred  in  Blair  Stanley. 
He  hies  away,  but  that  night,  when  the  swains  have 
long  departed  and  the  good  doctor  and  the  fair  Esther 
have  each  retired  to  slumber,  Blair  Stanley  returns 
prepared  to  break  in  and  bear  away  the  diamond  of 
discord. 

At  this  same  hour,  at  Stanley  Hall,  the  dark-eyed 
Arthur  muses  in  softened  mood  of  Esther.  His  guitar 
lies  near  him  and  he  picks  it  up  and  gently  strums  it. 
In  his  mind's  eye  he  sees  himself  serenading  sweet 
Esther  Lee,  as  she  is  called,  and  begging  her  gentle 
pardon  in  the  moonlight,  should  she  come  to  her  win 
dow  and  listen.  The  romantic  idea  suits  the  gipsy 


"An  Eye  for  an  Eye"  45 

romance  in  his  blood.  He  takes  the  guitar  and  hastens 
again  to  the  doctor's  house. 

Blair  Stanley  has  clambered  through  the  study  win 
dow,  closed  it  and  drawn  the  shade.  He  has  noise 
lessly  lighted  the  doctor's  study  lamp  and  rifled  the 
drawer  of  the  old  secretary  and  the  cashbox  it  holds. 
He  has  seized  the  precious  diamond  and  clasped  it  in 
agitated  ecstasy  upon  his  bosom.  He  hides  the  chain 
and  locket  beneath  his  collar  and  under  his  shirt. 

Meanwhile,  sleeping  the  light  slumber  of  the  aged, 
the  doctor  has  been  roused  by  the  slight  noise  of 
the  opening  of  the  window.  Candle  in  hand,  he  de 
scends  to  his  study  and  enters  just  as  the  last  gleam 
from  the  diamond  in  the  lamplight  is  shrouded  in  the 
shirt  of  the  thief  in  the  night.  There  is  a  quick,  sharp 
struggle.  Crazed  with  fear,  yet  resolved  to  do  murder 
rather  than  lose  the  long-coveted  heirloom,  Blair  Stan 
ley,  in  his  maddened,  frenzied  hate  and  fright,  strangles 
the  doctor  till  the  weak,  old  man  falls  across  the  table, 
his  heart  stopped  in  death. 

Breathless  after  the  struggle,  Blair  listens,  and  upon 
his  startled  ear  falls  the  tuneful  tinkle  of  a  guitar  and 
the  strains  of  an  old  love-song  serenade. 

The  voice  that  rises  on  the  night  to  the  tinkle  of  the 
guitar,  is  the  deep,  rich  baritone  of  Arthur  Stanley! 

Blair  sees  there  is  no  escape  by  the  way  he  came — 
the  window.  Averting  his  fear-haunted  eyes  from  the 
pale,  fixed  accusing  orbs  of  the  dead  man,  Blair  turns 
and  fumbles  at  the  knob  of  the  door  that  leads  to  the 
darkened  hallway  of  the  house. 


CHAPTER  III 
THE  WINGS   OF  FEAR 

CAUGHT  like  a  rat  in  a  trap,  with  Arthur  Stan 
ley  outside  the  window  serenading  the  dead 
as  well  as  the  living,  and  Esther  stirring  over 
head,  Blair  Stanley  nerved  himself  with  a  su 
preme  effort,  turned  the  knob  of  the  study  door  and 
stole  down  the  darkened  hallway,  and  as  quietly  as  his 
trembling  fingers  would  permit,  he  unbolted  the  front 
door  and  closed  it  as  silently  as  he  could. 

But  Arthur  heard  the  grating  of  the  bolt,  the  cau 
tious  opening  of  the  door,  and  hurried  from  the  side 
to  the  front  of  the  house,  hoping  it  was  Esther  who 
came  in  answer  to  his  serenade  and  to  receive  his  con 
trite  pleadings  for  forgiveness.  He  reached  out  to  em 
brace  the  gentle  girl  only  to  find  he  had  clasped  the 
stalwart,  struggling  frame  of  a  man.  The  moon  broke 
through  a  cloud  as  his  prisoner  struggled,  and  its  rays 
illuminated  the  face  of  Blair  Stanley! 

"What  are  you  doing  here,  coming  out  of  Doctor 
Lee's  house  at  this  hour?"  gasped  the  astonished  Ar 
thur. 

A  despicable  idea  flashed  through  the  brain  of  Blair 
in  his  desperation:  "Keep  quiet,  you  fool!"  he  whis 
pered.  "A  girl's  good  name  is  at  stake!" 

Arthur  winced  at  the  shameful  inference,  and  Blair 

46 


The  Wings  of  Fear  47 

with  a  rapid  movement  drew  his  revolver.  He  would 
do  a  double  murder  and  win  an  Earldom  and  "The 
Diamond  from  the  Sky/'  if  he  could  escape  without  de 
tection.  But  the  strong  hand  of  his  cousin  closed  upon 
the  pistol.  To  avoid  further  shame  and  scandal,  even 
of  inference,  Arthur  dragged  Blair  down  the  pathway 
and  through  the  silent  village  street,  as  the  cocks  were 
crowing,  presaging  the  coming  of  the  dawn.  Panting 
and  struggling,  the  cousins  stumble  off  the  village 
highway  and  into  the  little  village  graveyard.  Their 
feet  sink  into  a  mound  of  soft  earth  by  an  open  and 
newly  dug  grave. 

Trained  to  revere  womanhood,  a  wild  idea  of  blood 
vengeance  on  the  dastardly  traducer  of  Esther  had 
crossed  the  mind  of  Arthur  Stanley.  He  has  wrested 
Blair's  pistol  from  his  grasp,  and  they  stand  panting 
and  facing  each  other  with  rage  and  hate  in  their 
hearts.  In  this  era  of  smouldering  hostilities — the 
aftermath  of  the  great  Civil  War  between  the  North 
and  the  South — young  men  and  even  old,  went  armed. 

Arthur  drew  out  his  own  pistol  and  then  a  white 
silk  handkerchief  which  he  had  in  his  breast  pocket. 

"For  what  you  have  said  about  Esther,  either  you 
or  I  must  die!"  said  Arthur,  afire  with  maddened  rage. 
"Take  one  end  of  this  handkerchief  and  stand  across 
this  open  grave.  Hold  the  handkerchief  in  your  left 
hand,  as  I  hold  this  corner  of  it.  Now  take  your  pistol 
and  when  I  count  to  'Three!'  raise  and  fire,  and  the 
one  of  us  left  alive  will  pull  the  dead  man  into  this 
grave!" 

Arthur  counted  "One!"  when  the  now  fearful  mur 
derer  essayed  to  fire.  But  the  other  was  too  quick  for 


48  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

him.  Arthur's  pistol  spoke  first  and,  instinctively 
tugging  the  handkerchief  as  he  fires,  he  drags  the 
wounded  Blair  into  the  grave,  prone  on  his  face. 

Aghast,  Arthur  leaped  down  after  his  cousin  to  see 
if  he  were  dead.  Within  the  dark  confines  of  the  newly 
dug  grave  he  turned  the  still  form  of  Blair  upon 
its  back  to  satisfy  himself  as  to  whether  the  heart  yet 
beat.  The  moon  looked  down  on  the  pallid  face, 
blood  smeared  from  a  welling  wound  in  the  head,  and 
there,  as  Arthur  tore  at  the  bosom  of  Blair,  gleaming 
in  the  moon  rays,  with  evil  glitter,  was  the  marvellous 
diamond,  "The  Diamond  from  the  Sky." 

Arthur  Stanley  had  known  its  every  aspect,  for  the 
Stanley  archives  were  full  of  it  in  print  and  manu 
script,  pictured  and  described,  from  its  finding  as  it 
fell  in  the  meteor,  and  as  it  was  here — cut  and  pol 
ished  and  mounted  in  chain  and  locket. 

Hardly  realizing  what  he  did,  but  believing  the 
baleful  gem  was  his  by  every  right,  Arthur  tore  it  from 
the  neck  of  Blair  in  the  grave,  clambered  out  and 
hastened  away. 

In  the  newly  dug  grave,  Blair  Stanley  moaned  and 
stirred.  The  wound  on  his  forehead  was  from  a  glanc 
ing  bullet  blow  that  had  stunned  and  left  him  seem 
ingly  as  dead.  With  returning  consciousness  Blair's 
first  impulse  was  to  clutch  wildly  at  his  blood-stained 
and  dishevelled  shirt.  The  diamond  was  gone!  The 
death  of  Doctor  Lee  had  been  all  in  vain.  And  Blair 
Stanley  also  fled  beneath  the  moon,  bootless  and  in 
truth  blood  guilty. 

At  Stanley  Hall,  Arthur  gained  access  to  the  library 
and  shuddered  again  as  he  saw  the  stains  on  his  hands 


The  Wings  of  Fear  49 

and  on  the  great  jewel,  that  so  bedewed  seemed  to 
gleam  all  the  brighter  in  the  glare  of  the  library  lamp. 

He  now  realized  the  Stanley  heirloom  was  respon 
sible  for  Blair's  impugning  the  good  name  of  Esther, 
but  he  did  not  know  that  the  doctor  lay  cold  in  death 
at  the  hands  of  Blair.  The  wild  thought,  the  wilder 
hope,  that  he  might  go  elsewhere  and  under  a  new 
name,  still  holding  to  the  precious  jewel,  rehabilitate 
himself,  and  then  seek  out  Esther  in  secret  and  wed 
her,  now  possessed  Arthur. 

It  was  when  he  had  roused  himself  to  prepare  for 
flight  that  his  eyes  fell  upon  a  telegram,  which  his 
servant  had  left  upon  the  library  mantel.  Mechani 
cally  he  opened  it  and  read  it.  It  was  from  a  Rich 
mond  automobile  agency,  notifying  him  that  the  new 
French  racing  automobile  he  had  ordered  some  months 
previously,  had  arrived  and  would  be  delivered  to  him 
early  on  the  morrow. 

Among  Arthur's  many  extravagances,  which  the  lax 
administration  of  estates  in  Virginia  permitted  the 
scapegrace  heir,  was  the  buying  of  this  costly  French 
automobile.  It  was  a  day  when  automobiles  were 
rarities  and  luxuries,  and  the  young  spendthrift  of 
Stanley  Hall  had  preened  himself  in  the  thought  that 
he  would  be  the  first  to  own  one  in  all  Fairfax  County. 

But  all  this  was  now  dismissed  from  Arthur's 
anguished  mind  as  he  thought  of  the  stark  form  of 
Blair,  lying  in  the  grave  that  had  been  dug  for 
another.  The  body  would  not  be  found  till  perhaps 
near  noon.  Even  then  they  might  not  connect  Blair's 
tragic  death  with  the  broken  guitar  and  the  other 
signs  of  struggle  in  the  doctor's  garden. 


50  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

Meanwhile,  skulking  through  deserted  byways,  the 
dazed  and  bleeding  Blair  Stanley  had  a  strange  home 
coming  in  the  night.  His  mother,  always  a  light 
sleeper,  had  descended  to  admit  him  at  his  first  cau 
tious  knocking  at  the  door,  in  the  darkness  just  be 
fore  daylight. 

"Well?"  she  asked,  pale  but  composed,  as  he  clung 
to  her,  bleeding  and  shaking.  Then  in  hoarse,  dry 
whispers  he  told  her  all  the  horrid  events  of  the  night. 

"It  was  Arthur,  Arthur  Stanley!"  Blair  moaned. 
"He  shot  me.  I  saw  the  diamond — our  diamond — 
'The  Diamond  from  the  Sky/  of  the  Stanleys.  Doctor 
Lee  had  it.  I  climbed  in  to  get  it.  He  came  upon  me 

— Doctor  Lee  did I  struggled  with  him,  he 

dropped  over — dead,  I  think.  Then  Arthur  came  out 
side,  serenading  the  girl  Esther.  He  caught  me  as  I 
came  out.  He  thought — you  know  what  he  thought — 
about  Esther,  you  know?  We  fought  down  the  street, 
no  one  saw  us,  it  was  after  midnight.  I  shot  at  him 
when  I  first  came  out,  but  if  the  shot  was  heard  it 
roused  no  one.  In  the  cemetery — Arthur  shot  me  and 
I  fell  over — he  thought  dead.  Curse  him!  He  robbed 
me  of  the  diamond — the  diamond  that  should  have 
been  mine — as  he  has  robbed  me  of  the  title  in  Eng 
land — of  Esther,  of  everything!" 

"Then  you  have  failed,"  said  his  mother  coldly.  She 
expressed  no  compunction  at  the  death  of  Doctor  Lee, 
but  as  she  bathed  Blair's  forehead  her  lips  were  firm 
and  set.  One  life — Arthur  Stanley's — still  stood  be 
tween  her  son  and  herself  and  their  desires. 

Then  in  hushed,  grim  tones  Blair's  mother  told  him 
again  of  how  the  prized  and  precious  heirloom  had 


The  Wings  of  Fear  51 

vanished  strangely  the  night  Colonel  Stanley  had  ex 
pired,  alone  in  his  library;  the  Colonel's  death  preced 
ing  by  a  few  days  only  the  tragic  end  of  Judge  Stan 
ley  in  the  mountain  pass,  also,  it  was  thought,  alone. 
She  had  always  believed,  with  a  bitter  suspicion  that 
encompassed  all  of  the  long  dead  Colonel  Stanley's 
friends,  that  Doctor  Lee  had  taken  the  diamond  in  the 
confusion  attending  the  Colonel's  sudden  demise. 

"You  need  not  blame  me  that  I  lost  it,"  said  Blair 
when  she  had  ceased.  "It  was  Arthur's  luck  to  wrest 
it  from  me — the  Devil's  luck,  that  all  at  Stanley  Hall 
possess!  I  would  have  killed  him — it  was  in  my  mind, 
it  was  in  my  heart!" 

"Well,"  said  his  mother,  "we  must  hope  for  another, 
better  day.  Meanwhile,  if  you  are  sure  that  your 
struggles  were  not  seen,  you  had  better  remain  in 
hiding  until  I  can  learn  what  suspicions  are  aroused. 
If  you  are  missed,  I  will  say  you  are  gone  to  Rich 
mond.  Even  if  Arthur  Stanley  hears  no  more  of  you, 
he  will  still  think  that  he  has  slain  you.  He  will  keep 
silent." 

The  flush  of  hope  came  back  to  the  ashen  face  of 
Blair  Stanley.  "I  remember  now,"  he  said,  "we 
trampled  upon  Arthur's  guitar  in  the  doctor's  garden 
in  our  struggles.  He  will  be  accused  of  having  caused 
the  doctor's  death,  and  who  will  believe  him  if  he, 
in  turn,  blames  me?  I  will  keep  out  of  sight,  as  you 
say,  mother.  The  very  fact  that  he  now  has  the  dia 
mond  and  that  the  doctor  had  it  in  his  keeping  until 
his  death,  will  damn  him.  Thinking  me  dead,  he  may 
fly,  who  knows?" 

His  mother  nodded,  and  then,  seeing  the  dawn  was 


52  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

breaking,  she  crossed  the  room  to  the  old-fashioned 
fireplace  and  pressed  a  hidden  spring.  With  wonder 
ing  eyes  Blair  saw  the  whole  fireplace,  from  hearth 
stone  to  ceiling,  turn  as  on  a  centre  pivot  and  swing 
half  out  into  the  room  and  half  back  into  a  great 
recess  in  the  wall. 

"A  hiding  place  built  by  your  Tory  great-grand 
father,"  said  his  mother.  "Fairfax  was  all  for  the 
American  arms,  during  the  Revolution,  all  except  your 
great-grandfather.  Washington  accused  him  of  hiding 
and  harboring  spies  for  King  George.  But  though 
they  searched  here  they  never  found  them,"  she  added 
grimly. 

In  the  niche  behind  the  chimney,  Blair  noted  a  small 
bench,  or  pallet,  a  reading  lamp  of  old  design,  and 
sundry  other  crude  comforts. 

"You  will  find  it  comfortable  enough,"  remarked  his 
mother. 

Noting  an  inflexion  of  sarcasm  in  her  tones,  Blair 
faced  her  resolutely.  "I  swear  to  you  that  neither 
Arthur  Stanley  nor  the  diamond  shall  always  escape 
me,"  he  said;  "you  must  believe  that  I  am  as  deter 
mined  and  as  resolute  as  my  father  was,  and  yet  he, 
too,  failed." 

For  one  of  the  few  times  Blair  could  remember,  his 
proud,  cold  mother  softened.  She  gave  her  attention 
again  to  the  slight  wound  above  his  temple,  bound  it 
gently  with  her  handkerchief,  kissed  him  and  sighed. 
The  unhappy  Blair  sobbed  and  impulsively  embraced 
his  mother.  For  one  brief  moment  he  faltered,  and 
then  his  mother  pointed  in  silence  to  the  hiding  place, 
and  he  stepped  within,  and  the  great  chimneypiece 


The  Wings  of  Fear  53 

swung  into  place,  and  he  was  in  semi-darkness,  hidden 
and  secure. 

Meanwhile,  the  dawn  had  come,  and  Esther,  who 
had  been  aroused  at  the  pistol  shots,  was  in  great  agi 
tation  and  alarm.  Comforted  and  encouraged  by  the 
first  glimpse  of  daybreak,  she  had  descended  to  the 
lower  hall  of  the  house.  The  door  of  the  doctor's 
study  stood  ajar,  and  she  glanced  within.  There  in 
the  dim  light  of  the  morning  sun  filtering  through  the 
window  shades,  she  saw  the  doctor  in  his  dressing- 
gown  prone  across  the  table,  dead! 

Nancy,  the  doctor's  cook,  was  already  astir  in  the 
kitchen  when  Esther's  cries  brought  her  to  the  scene; 
on  the  heels  of  the  cook  came  the  colored  houseboy. 
After  the  frenzy  of  their  fright  had  subsided,  the  boy 
ran  through  the  neighborhood  arousing  it  with  news 
of  the  tragedy. 

At  first  Esther  and  the  neighbors  had  believed  the 
doctor's  death  had  been  from  natural  causes,  the 
peaceful  passing  in  old  age;  but  the  disorder  of  the 
room,  the  rifled  cashbox  on  the  table,  the  chisel-marked 
drawer  of  the  old  secretary  and  the  opened  window, 
against  which  the  drawn  shade  flapped  in  the  early 
morning  air,  all  mutely  told  their  tale  of  theft  and 
murder. 

The  sheriff  had  been  sent  for  and  already  an  eager 
neighbor  had  found  a  crushed  guitar  in  the  garden, 
and  the  marks  of  the  trampling  of  the  feet  of  what 
appeared  had  been  those  of  several  struggling  men,  in 
the  flowerbeds  that  bordered  the  walk  to  the  doctor's 
gate.  The  footprints  were  of  well-shod  men.  No  pass 
ing  rough  marauders,  no  outlaw  negro  desperadoes  had 


54  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

part  in  the  murder  and  robbery  in  the  doctor's  study, 
nor  had  any  such  struggled  in  deadly  combat  in  his 
garden.  The  matter  was  mystery  as  well  as  murder, 
and  the  morbid  neighbors  gathered  in  and  around  the 
cottage  of  the  dead  man  and  whispered  greedily. 

The  old  procedures  of  the  "crowner's  quest"  still 
held  strong  in  Fairfax  County,  Virginia,  long  incul 
cated  by  its  early  English  traditions;  so,  at  the  doc 
tor's  cottage,  the  first  expression  of  authority  by  the 
sheriff  was  that  nothing  should  be  touched  in  the  study 
where  the  doctor  lay  dead,  "till  the  coroner  came." 
The  broken  guitar  had  been  handed  the  sheriff  and 
identified  as  Arthur  Stanley's. 

Now  the  gossips  whispered  that  he  and  the  doctor 
had  had  high  words  earlier  that  same  day  over  the 
fact  that  Arthur,  who  had  squandered  his  means,  had 
added  to  his  other  extravagances  by  ordering  a  costly 
automobile,  without  consulting  the  usually  leniently 
inclined  old  doctor,  who  as  Arthur's  guardian,  had 
borne  with  the  young  man's  wild  extravagance  with 
the  patience  that  was  part  of  Doctor  Lee's  kindly 
character. 

Esther,  in  the  midst  of  the  depressing,  morbid  tur 
moil  that  followed  the  discovery  of  the  doctor's  death, 
had  moved  as  one  in  a  most  unhappy  dream.  The 
Judge's  widow  had  arrived  upon  the  scene  as  soon  as 
she  had  been  sent  for.  Although  her  relations  with  the 
doctor  had  been  distant  and  constrained  for  years,  yet 
the  Judge's  widow  was  next  of  kin.  With  the  usual 
delay  characteristic  of  the  easy-going  doctor,  he  had 
postponed  making  out  the  legal  adoption  papers  for 
Esther.  He  had  only  insisted  that  she  be  called  Es- 


The  Wings  of  Fear  55 

ther  Lee.  What  her  real  name  was,  the  polite  Vir 
ginians  had  not  asked,  but  it  was  whispered  that  it 
was  Harding. 

When  questioned  by  the  puzzled  sheriff  as  to  what 
procedure  he  should  follow,  after  the  identification 
of  the  broken  guitar,  found  close  to  the  footprints  in 
the  flowerbeds,  the  Judge's  widow  had  coldly  replied: 
"Do  your  duty!"  and  the  sheriff,  with  his  deputy,  set 
out  for  Stanley  Hall  to  apprehend  Arthur  Stanley 
2nd  on  suspicion  of  the  murder  of  Doctor  Henry  Lee. 


At  their  parting  there  had  been  one  gift  of  Hagar's 
that  Esther  had  since  lovingly  cherished.  It  was  a 
pair  of  carrier  pigeons. 

"Take  these,  my  daughter,"  Hagar  had  said,  "if 
you  are  ever  in  trouble  and  need  me,  send  a  message 
by  the  birds.  Their  homing  place  is  our  gipsy  rendez 
vous  in  the  Blue  Ridge.  Even  if  I  am  not  there  when 
the  message  comes,  some  of  our  tribe  will  be.  They 
will  know  where  I  am  and  fetch  me  the  word." 

So  Esther,  under  the  open  espionage  of  Blair's 
mother,  had  taken  one  of  the  pigeons  from  its  cage 
on  the  porch  and  had  hastily  written  the  message  to 
send  by  this  aerial  carrier  to  Hagar.  The  message 
read  briefly:  "Come  at  once,  dear  mother,  I  need 
you!"  She  simply  signed  it  "Esther." 

She  released  her  feathered  messenger,  and  with  a 
beating  heart  she  saw  the  bird  circle  twice  above  the 
house  top  and  then  dart,  high  up,  swiftly  to  the  west, 
straight  as  the  arrow  flies. 

The  sheriff  and  his  deputy  were  not  long  in  reaching 


56  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

Stanley  Hall.  They  alighted  with  a  business-like  clat 
ter,  and  the  sheriff  clumped  up  the  steps  and  across 
the  wide  hospitable  portico  and  made  the  great  iron 
knocker  wake  the  echoes  of  the  silent  mansion,  then 
with  an  indicative  gesture  of  his  thumb,  he  sent  his 
deputy  to  guard  the  rear. 

Joe,  the  natty  and  worldly-wise  colored  man-serv 
ant  of  the  young  master  of  Stanley  Hall,  was  won 
dering  at  the  impudent  urgency  of  the  clamor  as  he 
reached  the  bottom  of  the  staircase,  but  he  stood  stock 
still,  shaken  for  once  out  of  his  usual  superior  airs  and 
self-possession,  when  his  master,  wild-eyed  and 
dishevelled,  rushed  from  the  library  and  seized  him, 
exclaiming  as  he  did  so:  "Don't  open  that  door!  I 
have  killed  a  man,  and  they  are  after  me!" 

With  chattering  teeth  and  shaking  knees,  the  erst 
while  dandy  darkey  clung  for  support  in  the  weak 
ness  of  his  fright  at  the  foot  of  the  old  Colonial  stair 
case. 

Still  the  sheriff  hammered  at  the  door,  crying  sten- 
toriously:  "Open  in  the  name  of  the  law!"  and  still 
the  frightened  darkey  clung  to  the  balustrade,  in  his 
terror  of  the  awful  authority  that  he  was  disobeying. 

One  glance  from  the  low  French  window  that  looked 
from  the  library  upon  the  grounds  at  the  back  of 
Stanley  Hall,  and  Arthur  was  aware  of  the  watchful 
deputy,  with  drawn  pistol. 

At  this  juncture,  the  automobile  agent  from  Rich 
mond  came  with  honking  horn  up  the  driveway  with 
two  of  the  first  automobiles  that  had  ever  essayed  the 
roads  of  Fairfax.  With  the  agent,  who  proudly  drove 
the  red  French  racer,  was  an  oily  and  grimy  garage 


The  Wings  of  Fear  57 

mechanic  driving  a  low,  old,  but  powerful  garage 
handy  car,  battered  and  scarred  from  much  hard  serv 
ice,  but  still  strong,  speedy  and  dependable. 

The  sheriff  hammered  and  kicked  unavailingly  at 
the  stout,  great  door,  as  these  "new-fangled  contrap 
tions,"  as  he  called  them,  drove  up  to  the  portico  steps. 
"I  am  the  sheriff,"  he  explained  to  the  wondering 
automobile  man.  "I  am  after  a  man  for  murder,  and 
I  summon  you  to  aid  me!"  The  taciturn  garage  me 
chanic  brought  a  heavy  iron  jack  from  his  battered 
old  car,  and  he  and  the  sheriff  soon  had  the  stout 
oak  door  shattering  beneath  the  blows  they  dealt  it. 

As  the  door  gave  way,  Arthur  darted  past  the  still 
quaking  negro  in  the  hallway  and  ran  into  the  dining 
room.  He  fled  through  the  dining  room  into  the  con 
servatory  at  its  back,  that  overlooked  the  grounds  at 
the  rear  of  Stanley  Hall.  But  here  his  way  was 
blocked  by  iron  and  glass,  there  was  no  egress  from 
the  conservatory  save  through  the  dining  room. 

As  he  turned  to  retrace  his  steps,  the  sheriff,  with 
the  frightened  automobile  man  at  his  back,  appeared 
at  the  door  of  the  conservatory  with  levelled  revolver 
and  demanded  Arthur's  surrender.  Arthur  made  no 
reply,  but  seized  a  heavy  rustic  chair  and  with  one 
sweeping,  swinging  blow,  thrust  aside  the  levelled  re 
volver,  and  then  smashed  the  heavy  glass  and  the 
metal  frames  of  the  rear  wall  of  the  conservatory.  He 
leaped  unhurt  through  the  aperture  thus  made  and 
fled  around  the  corner  of  the  house,  followed  by  a 
fusillade  of  shots  from  the  sheriff  and  his  deputy. 

At  the  front  of  the  house  stood  the  two  automobiles 
deserted.  The  new  French  racer  was  throbbing  under 


58  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

power.  The  excited  dealer  had  not  thought  fur 
ther  of  the  fine  new  machine  when  he  heard  the 
sheriff's  quick  summons  for  assistance,  but  the  more 
phlegmatic  and  practical  mechanic  with  him  had 
turned  off  the  power  of  the  old  garage  car  when  he 
had  brought  the  sheriff  the  jack  to  smash  down  the 
door. 

Arthur  jumped  in  the  purring  racer.  He  had  little 
thought  when  he  had  ordered  it,  in  a  fit  of  reckless 
extravagance,  that  its  first  service  for  him  would  be 
in  a  need  like  this.  He  sensed  the  use  of  its  levers 
in  the  instinct  of  fear  and  self-preservation,  and  the 
machine  bounded  away  at  highest  speed,  and  Arthur 
turned  the  steering  wheel  and  made  the  gateway  safely. 

He  gave  one  glance  back  and  saw  the  mechanic 
endeavoring  to  start  the  other  car,  while  the  sheriff 
stamped  and  swore  futilely.  Perhaps  it  was  because 
the  old  dependable  car  failed  for  once  to  respond,  per 
haps  it  was  because  the  sporting  instinct  in  the  grimy 
mechanic  was  strong  and  he  hoped  for  a  long,  stern 
chase  by  a  practised  driver  in  an  old  car  after  a  rank 
amateur  in  a  new  French  racer — in  either  case,  the 
old  car  was  five  minutes  in  responding  to  his  efforts' 
to  start  it. 

Arthur  had  read  enough  of  automobiles  to  know  it 
were  well  for  him,  if  he  paused  in  his  flight,  not  to 
stop  the  engine.  Looking  back  again  and  seeing  he 
was  not  as  yet  pursued,  a  fit  of  desperate  reckless 
ness  encouraged  him  in  the  resolve  to  bid  farewell  to 
Esther. 

By  this  tune  all  but  a  few  of  the  curious  neighbors 
had  gone  from  the  doctor's  garden,  and  Esther  was 


The  Wings  of  Fear  59 

at  the  gate  engaged  in  hanging  a  white  wreath  upon 
it  in  memory  of  her  dear  old  friend.  The  meeting, 
the  parting  was  brief,  dramatic  and  passionate.  There 
was  no  time  for  explanations  on  either  side.  Arthur 
held  the  fair  girl  to  his  heart  for  one  brief  moment  and 
pledged  his  love  and  faith  for  her,  and  then  was 
gone. 

Now  came  the  other  car  in  a  cloud  of  dust.  On 
sped  pursuer  and  pursued;  at  the  railroad  crossing 
the  one-armed  watchman  waves  his  warning  flag.  The 
gates  are  down,  the  Richmond  Express  is  thunder 
ing  up.  At  his  highest  speed  Arthur  takes  the  gates, 
that  smash  and  splinter  at  the  impact  of  his  swift 
machine.  Athwart  the  pilot  of  the  locomotive  flashes 
the  man  in  the  motor  car — a  touch  and  go  with  death 
so  close  that  the  mud-guards  at  the  rear  of  the  racer 
are  shorne  as  with  a  knife.  So  Arthur  has  passed 
and  is  gone,  and  the  express  train  has  checked  the  pur 
suit  that  prudently  halts  for  the  swift  express. 

From  tragedy  to  comedy  and  then  to  tragedy  again : 
Down  the  road  "The  Colored  Sons  of  Liberty"  cele 
brate  Emancipation  Day  with  picnicking  and  oratory. 
Through  the  flying  darkies,  old  and  young,  male  and 
female,  flashes  the  red  car,  seeming  a  satanic  visitant: 
"Streaking  it  like  de  berry  ole  devil  hisself !"  as  it  was 
afterward  related.  The  maddened  driver  has  lost 
control,  the  speeding  car  strikes  the  corner  of  the  im 
provised  grand  stand,  spilling  the  darkey  orators  and 
others  in  the  air  like  huckleberries;  then  zigzagging 
down  the  road,  almost  faster  than  the  eye  can  fol 
low,  skidding  and  atilt  on  two  wheels,  the  automobile 
flies  at  a  tangent  over  the  high  cliffs  by  the  river,  and 


60  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

then  man  and  machine  plunge  down  the  sickening 
height! 


At  early  dusk  the  newly  risen  moon  beholds  a  quiet 
face  floating  down  the  stream.  Half  submerged,  a 
dank  form  drifts  on  slowly  down — and  the  moon  sees 
gleaming  on  its  breast,  half  hidden,  half  showing, 
"The  charm  against  harm"  of  the  Stanleys — "The 
Diamond  from  the  Sky!" 


CHAPTER  IV 
THE  PRODIGAL'S  PROGRESS 

THE  years  had  brought  naught  but  a  harvest  of 
heartaches  for  Hagar.    The  son  she  had  borne 
had  been  torn  from  her  ere  scarce  she  had  felt 
his  little  head  against  her  heart ;  and  as  for  the 
child  she  had  taken  in  retaliation  for  the  great  wrong 
done  her,  the  child  she  had  nurtured  in  hate  and  had 
grown  to  love  with  every  fibre  of  her  being — sweet 
Esther,  the  rightful  Stanley — of  her,  too,  Hagar  was 
now  bereft. 

In  the  mountain  rendezvous  of  her  gipsy  people, 
while  Hagar's  sad  heart  still  mourned  for  both  of  her 
children,  yet  longed  the  most  for  Esther,  came  the 
homing  pigeon  to  the  rocks  where  it  had  been  reared. 
Here,  Hagar  read  the  call  for  her  that  Esther  ha4 
sent. 

As  Hagar  rode  hurriedly  to  Fairfax,  she  recalled 
again  that  Doctor  Lee  had  written  her  that  since  Es 
ther  had  come  into  his  household,  Arthur,  the  prodigal, 
had  suddenly  and  strangely  changed  for  the  better. 
His  affection  for  Esther  seemed  strong  and  fervent. 
Then  it  was  that  the  good  doctor  had  hoped,  like 
Hagar,  that  this  love  would  ripen  to  marriage,  and  the 
Stanley  secret  might  go  to  the  grave  with  the  only 
two  living  beings  that  shared  it  now. 

61 


62  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

But  all  these  hopes  were  to  be  chilled  within  the 
bosom  of  the  gipsy  mother.  Her  air  castles  crumbled 
and  her  heart  grew  sick  and  faint;  all  her  dread 
forebodings  at  the  summons  that  called  her  were  more 
than  realized  when  she  arrived  to  find  that  Doctor  Lee 
lay  dead  in  his  study,  and  that  Arthur,  her  son,  accused 
of  the  murder  of  his  guardian  and  friend,  had  con 
fessed  his  guilt  by  flight!  She  found,  too,  that  death 
had  claimed  the  easy-going  doctor  before  he  had  made 
provision  for  Esther,  as  his  adopted  daughter,  and 
that  Mrs.  Stanley  was  in  possession  and  had  coldly 
informed  Esther  she  was  now  an  intruder. 

Hagar  arrived  just  in  time  to  spare  the  shrinking 
Esther  from  further  humiliation  at  the  hands  of  Mrs. 
Stanley.  And  as  they  rode  sadly  home  in  the  dusk 
and  crossed  the  ford  at  the  river  near  the  gipsy  camp 
— the  only  home  that  Esther  seemed  fated  to  know — 
the  hoofs  of  Hagar's  horse  that  bore  them  both, 
splashed  water  upon  an  upturned  white  face,  the  face 
of  a  man  in  the  sedge.  And  the  face  was  that  of 
Arthur  Stanley,  son  of  Hagar! 

It  was  nearly  dark  now,  but  at  Hagar's  wild  calls, 
the  gipsies  came  running  from  their  camp  not  far 
from  the  river  bank.  The  unconscious  Arthur  was 
borne  to  Hagar's  van,  but  ere  they  bore  him  there, 
Hagar's  hand  feeling  for  his  faint  heart  beats,  had 
closed  on  and  seized  the  diamond  which  he  had  hid 
den  in  his  breast. 

Distracting  Esther's  agonized  attention,  Hagar  had 
unclasped  the  great  jewel  and  hidden  it  in  her  bosom 
unseen,  scarce  knowing  why  she  did  so. 

By  the  time  Arthur  had  recovered  consciousness. 


The  Prodigal's  Progress  63 

Sheriff  Swain  and  his  deputy  had  reached  the  camp 
in  their  search,  and  were  inquiring  for  the  fugitive. 
No  corpse  had  been  found  when  the  wrecked  and  over 
turned  auto  had  been  dragged  from  the  river  bed,  and 
the  sheriff  thought  that  Arthur  Stanley,  dead  or  alive, 
had  floated  unseen  down  the  river. 

The  wily  Hagar  bid  the  impatient  sheriff  welcome  to 
search  the  camp,  but  that  astute  officer  believed  the 
gay  Arthur  Stanley,  if  he  lived,  would  seek  no  hiding 
place  among  such  folk  as  gipsies,  and  so  had  ridden 
away  with  his  deputies,  on  the  man  hunt.  But  ere 
he  left  the  camp,  the  sheriff  had  added  another  burden 
to  Hagar's  saddened  heart  by  telling  her  briefly  of  the 
bankruptcy  and  ruin  that  had  followed  swiftly,  even 
on  the  same  day  that  Arthur  had  fled,  suspected  of 
the  murder  of  Doctor  Lee. 

It  was  with  blazing  eyes  that  Hagar  confronted 
Arthur,  when  he  was  strong  enough  to  bear  her  fierce 
reproaches. 

"My  sacrifice  has  been  all  in  vain!"  she  cried  bit 
terly.  "A  ruined  man  and  a  murderer,  you  have 
wasted  every  chance  in  life  I  gave  you  and  for  which 
I  bowed  my  head  in  bitterness  and  sorrow!  Better 
had  you  been  bred  the  poor  gipsy  you  were  born, 
rather  than  now  be  a  fugitive  impostor  who  has 
squandered  a  heritage  that  was  not  his!" 

Arthur  regarded  her,  as  though  she  were,  what  she 
seemed  to  him,  an  insane  harridan  who  raged  at  him 
in  half-incoherent  frenzy. 

Then  Hagar  drew  a  brass-bound  box  from  its  hid 
ing  place,  and,  opening  it,  handed  him  a  sealed  en- 


64  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

velope,  yellow  and  musty  with  age,  on  the  outside 
of  which  were  the  words: 

"To  be  opened  in  case  my  son,  Arthur  Stanley  2nd,  ever 
does  anything  to  disgrace  the  Stanley  name." 

With  staring  eyes  he  read  the  contents.  Then  he 
realized  that  the  woman  before  him  had  spoken  the 
dreadful  truth.  For  there  affixed  were  the  signatures 
of  Colonel  Stanley,  which  he  knew  weh1  and  Doctor 
Lee's,  also  known  to  him,  as  witness. 

"Nothing  belongs  to  you,  not  even  your  name,  and 
much  less  this  for  which  you  stained  your  hands  with 
blood!"  cried  Hagar  hysterically.  And  she  threw  down 
into  the  open  box,  with  a  gesture  of  disdain,  the  Stanley 
diamond. 

"But  I  am  not  guilty  of  the  death  of  Doctor  Lee,  he 
was  my  friend!"  replied  Arthur  hoarsely.  "I  did  kill 
my  supposed  cousin,  Blair,  and  he  now  lies  in  a  grave 
dug  for  another,  but  not  for  this!"  and  he  pointed  to 
the  baleful  jewel.  "I  killed  Blair  Stanley  because 
he  spoke  ill  of  Esther!  Tell  me,  if  I  am  not  Arthur 
Stanley,  who  is  she?  Is  she  my  sister?  I  ask  this, 
for  by  every  wild  deed  of  my  reckless  life  in  the  past, 
and  for  every  good  deed  I  hope  to  achieve,  I  love  her!" 

"No  matter  who  she  is,  you  are  not  good  enough 
to  breathe  the  same  air  with  her!"  replied  Hagar 
fiercely.  "Make  the  better  man  of  yourself  that  you 
boast  you  will !  Make  a  name  for  yourself  in  place  of 
the  one  you  have  lost,  and  then  return  to  me  for  a 
.mother's  blessing  and  to  learn  who  Esther  is!" 

So  s&ying,  Hagar,  for  she  felt  her  fortitude  giving 


The  Prodigal's  Progress  65 

way,  walked  with  dry  eyes  and  head  erect  from  the 
van. 

Arthur  picked  up  the  diamond  by  its  curious 
wrought  chain  of  dull  old  gold.  In  her  agitation, 
Hagar  had  forgotten  it,  and  Arthur  was  of  the  belief 
that  his  gipsy  mother  had  left  it  there  that  he  might 
take  it  and  make  some  temporary  use  of  it  to  build 
up  his  fortunes  again.  For  Arthur  believed  that  Blair 
still  lay  dead  by  his  hand  in  that  newly  dug  grave, 
and  with  Blair,  the  last  male  Stanley,  save  the  old 
Earl  in  England,  had  perished. 

When  Arthur  came  out  of  the  van,  he  saw  Esther 
come  toward  him  from  Hagar's  side,  and  was  glad  to 
note  that  his  fierce,  stern  mother  did  not  make  any 
attempt  to  stay  her. 

"Be  a  good  man,  Arthur,  and  let  me  be  proud  of 
you!"  Esther  whispered  tenderly.  And  Arthur  folded 
her  to  his  heart  and  kissed  her,  and  strode  away.  He 
looked  back  once  and  saw  her  leaning  against  a  great 
tree  and  weeping.  But  neither  he  nor  the  weeping 
Esther  beheld  the  dark  face  of  Luke  Lovell,  Hagar's 
headman,  peering  at  them  from  behind  Hagar's  van. 

It  was  not  until  next  morning  that  Hagar  sought 
for  the  diamond  and  found  it  missing.  Again  her 
rage  at  Arthur  burned  high.  Bitter  against  him  in  her 
disappointment  of  the  wreck  he  had  made  of  his  ca 
reer,  all  of  Hagar's  fierce  mother  love  was  now  cen 
tred  upon  Esther.  Hagar  hated  the  Stanley  name 
and  despised  every  Stanley  possession,  but  she  was  re 
solved  since  all  the  Stanley  line  was  near  at  end,  that 
Esther,  defrauded  of  every  other  birthright,  should 
have  "The  Diamond  from  the  Sky." 


66  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

The  diamond  gone,  Hagar  determined  to  go  to  Rich 
mond,  the  nearest  big  city,  in  the  hopes  of  finding 
Arthur  and  again  securing  the  Stanley  heirloom  for 
Esther,  even  if  it  were  necessary  to  give  her  own  son 
over  to  the  law. 

All  this  time  at  Fairfax,  no  suspicion  had  been  di 
rected  at  Blair  in  connection  with  the  doctor's  murder, 
nor  did  any  living  soul  in  Fairfax,  save  Blair  and  his 
mother,  know  of  the  encounter  Blair  had  had  with 
Arthur  in  the  doctor's  garden,  nor  of  the  gruesome 
duel  across  the  open  grave  at  midnight  that  had  fol 
lowed  Blair's  cruel  ruse  to  defame  Esther's  good  name 
that  Arthur  might  not  suspect  him  of  murder  and  rob 
bery.  Blair  felt  the  grisly  burden  of  the  real  guilt. 
But  in  order  to  be  safe,  and  at  his  mother's  suggestion, 
he  had  gone  to  Richmond,  his  mother  giving  the  ex 
cuse  that  he  went  to  attend  to  urgent  matters,  brought 
about  by  the  doctor's  sudden  and  tragic  death. 

Esther,  too,  was  gone  from  Fairfax  now,  and  this, 
with  the  flight  of  Arthur  and  the  presence  at  the  scene 
of  the  murder  of  Tom  Blake,  a  noted  private  detec 
tive  of  Richmond,  made  the  country  side  of  old  aris 
tocratic  Fairfax  County  ring  with  rumors  and  revived 
many  of  the  old  long-forgotten  tales  of  the  tragic  and 
mysterious  happenings  among  the  Stanleys  in  the 
past. 

Arriving  in  Richmond,  Arthur  Stanley,  giving  him 
self  the  name  of  John  Powell,  found  humble  lodg 
ings  and  awaited  opportunity  to  slip  from  the  city 
when  the  hue  and  cry  after  him  had  died  down. 

It  was  necessary  for  him  to  have  money.  To  obtain 
some  he  resolved  to  pawn  the  Stanley  diamond,  believ- 


The  Prodigal's  Progress  67 

ing  that  no  living  person,  save  Hagar,  knew  of  its 
existence. 

In  nearly  twenty  years,  "The  Diamond  from  the 
Sky"  had  almost  come  to  be  regarded  as  a  myth  in 
Fairfax  County.  Some  there  were  who  claimed  it  had 
never  existed  at  all,  and  others  who  believed  it  had 
been  a  bit  of  old  trumpery  that  Col.  Stanley  had  found 
valueless  and  destroyed.  That  the  late  Judge  Stanley 
and  his  surviving  widow  and  son  had  believed  in  this 
mysterious  and  alleged  valuable  heirloom,  had  come 
to  be  regarded  as  further  proof  of  the  Stanley  family 
eccentricities. 

It  was  only  when  he  came  out  of  his  hiding  place 
after  several  days  that  Arthur  dared  buy  and  read  a 
Richmond  paper.  There  were  no  further  accounts 
from  Fairfax  of  the  death  of  Doctor  Lee  and  the  flight 
of  his  supposed  murderer.  Arthur  also  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  the  death  of  Blair  Stanley,  and  his  be 
ing  found  shot  through  the  head,  had  likewise  ceased 
to  be  a  three-day  wonder  in  the  newspapers. 

In  Fairfax,  like  enough,  the  whole  country  side  was 
still  agog  at  this  double  tragedy,  Arthur  reasoned; 
but  here  the  papers  gave  no  mention  to  it  now,  their 
one  absorbing  topic  was  the  ball  to  be  given  by  Rich 
mond's  society  leader,  the  wealthy  Mrs.  Burton  Ran 
dolph. 

Meanwhile,  desperate  and  fear-stricken,  Blair  Stan 
ley  was  endeavoring  to  forget  his  peril,  present  and 
prospective,  in  reckless  dissipations  in  Richmond. 
While  his  fugitive  cousin  lay  in  humble  lodgings,  Blair 
Stanley  lorded  it  at  a  fine  hotel,  and  every  night  found 


68  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

him  gambling  at  the  exclusive  establishment  of  Mr. 
Abe  Bloom. 

Within  the  week,  in  desperation,  finding  himself 
"cleaned  out"  at  Mr.  Bloom's  luxurious  temple  of 
chance,  Blair  had  persuaded  that  astute  gentleman  to 
cash  his  personal  check  on  the  Bank  of  Fairfax.  In 
a  few  days  this  would  be  returned  marked  "No  Funds" 
Blair  well  knew;  but  he  hoped,  meanwhile,  to  recoup 
his  losses,  and  laugh  in  Abe  Bloom's  hawklike  face  as 
he  "made  good  the  bum  check"  out  of  the  winnings 
he  expected  to  gain  at  Abe's  own  roulette  wheel. 

But  the  two  thousand  dollars  went  the  way  of  the 
money  his  mother  had  given  him — back  into  the  cof 
fers  of  the  gambling-house  keeper  who  had  advanced 
the  money  on  the  worthless  check. 

One  desperate  way  was  left.  Blair  resolved  to 
pawn  his  watch  and  with  the  proceeds  invoke  the 
wheels  of  chance  again  and  by  a  stroke  of  luck,  who 
knows,  win  back  all  and  so  square  himself  and  the 
check  when  it  came  back.  For  Blair  found  Richmond 
to  his  liking.  Then,  too,  he  worried  over  the  mysteri 
ous  visit  to  Fairfax  of  Tom  Blake,  the  detective.  Who 
had  hired  Blake? 

There  also  was  the  ball  to  be  given  by  Mrs.  Burton 
Randolph,  who  was  a  relative  of  his  mother  and  had 
counted  upon  Blair's  presence  at  this  event  of  the 
social  year  in  Richmond. 

Also  Blair  thought  of  Vivian  Marston!  Glorious 
Vivian,  luxurious  Vivian ;  she  had  come  to  Richmond, 
sworn  friend  of  Mrs.  Randolph  who  had  met  her  the 
winter  before  at  Palm  Beach.  It  was  known  of  Vivian 
Marston  that  she  was  a  wealthy  and  dashing  young 


The  Prodigal's  Progress  69 

woman,  high  in  the  exclusive  circles  of  New  York's 
Four  Hundred.  Blair  Stanley  had  met  her  at  his 
mother's  cousin's  mansion,  and  Blair  had  been  first 
among  those  to  fall  victim  of  her  charms. 

Of  these  two,  it  was  Arthur  Stanley  who  first  en 
tered  the  pawnshop  of  Ike  Bloom,  brother  and  some 
said  partner  of  the  redoubtable  Abe  Bloom,  king  of 
the  Richmond  gamblers. 

The  pawnshop  was  divided  into  partition  spaces, 
an  arrangement  that  tends  to  the  privacy  of  those 
in  adversity  in  Southern  cities.  Arthur  saw  the  vul 
ture  eyes  of  Mr.  Isaac  Bloom  gleam  when  his  gaze 
fastened  upon  the  diamond  with  its  antique  chain 
and  curious  locket  setting.  Only  too  eagerly  did  the 
pawnbroker  hand  over  the  three  hundred  dollars  Ar 
thur  asked  on  it,  and  only  too  eagerly  did  Ike  Bloom 
hide  the  great  jewel  in  his  safe. 

Arthur  was  about  to  slip  from  behind  the  privacy 
partitions  to  the  street,  when  he  heard  a  voice  say: 
"I  want  fifty  dollars  on  this  watch."  He  staggered, 
half  fainting  with  fear  and  joy,  against  the  partition. 
It  was  the  voice  of  Blair  Stanley,  there  could  be  no 
mistake ! 

In  a  revulsion  of  feeling  to  find  he  was  not  a  mur 
derer,  and  that  Blair  was  alive  and  well,  Arthur  ran 
around  the  partition  and  into  the  arms  of  Blair.  Some 
what  surprised,  but  feigning  joy  also,  Blair  echoed  his 
supposed  cousin's  cries  of  delight.  Outside  the  pawn 
shop,  Blair  made  haste  to  explain  that  Doctor  Lee  had 
called  him  to  his  study  and  had  given  him  the  Stanley 
heirloom,  and  that  having  done  this,  the  doctor,  who 
became  greatly  agitated,  had  fallen  dead. 


70  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

"I  was  afraid  I  would  be  suspected  of  killing  him 
for  the  diamond — how  could  I  explain  when  you 
caught  hold  of  me?"  lied  Blair  glibly. 

"I  did  not  mean  any  reflection  upon  Esther,  as  you 
thought  I  did/'  he  continued.  "I  only  thought  any 
altercation  at  such  a  tune,  and  the  doctor  lying  dead, 
might  jeopardize  her  good  name.  I  was  too  frightened 
to  explain  and  you  were  too  angry  to  listen  to  me. 
I  was  only  stunned;  I  got  home  all  right.  But  there 
has  been  a  detective  hired,  and  I  believe  he  will  find 
some  clue,  so  I  came  to  Richmond — for  I  knew  your 
evidence  would  only  tend  to  convict  me,  and  I  am 
innocent!" 

Arthur  reflected  that  Doctor  Lee  had  known  he  was 
the  spurious  heir,  and  that  the  diamond  did  properly 
belong  to  Blair,  in  consequence. 

Blair,  too,  was  quick  to  take  advantage  of  Arthur's 
joyous  and  softened  mood.  "I  never  will  be  able  to 
prove  I  did  not  kill  Doctor  Lee,"  he  said,  with  affected 
sadness.  "True,  there  would  not  be  any  proof  to  con 
vict  me,  but  the  very  suspicion  of  it  would  ruin  me. 
You  must  stand  by  me,  Arthur." 

And  Arthur,  in  the  foolish,  impulsive  generosity  of 
his  nature  promised.  "I  am  going  far  away,"  he  said, 
"let  them  believe  me  guilty!"  The  relief  he  felt  at 
seeing  Blair  alive  placed  him  in  the  mood  to  promise 
anything  that  Blair  might  ask.  Then,  too,  with  an  in 
ward  shame,  he  realized,  that,  after  all,  he  was  a  gipsy 
impostor  and  stood  in  Blair's  way,  and  yet  he  could 
not  bring  himself  to  be  despised  of  Blair  should  he 
tell  him  the  Stanley  secret — which  was  also  Hagar's 
and  his  own. 


The  Prodigal's  Progress  71 

Blair  heaved  a  sigh  of  relief  and  said :  "You  do  not 
know  my  mother's  cousin,  Mrs.  Burton  Randolph,  who 
gives  the  grand  ball  in  Richmond  to-night.  Come, 
let  us  have  one  fling,  one  good  time  together,  in 
memory  of  the  old  days  at  Stanley  Hall,  before  you  go 
to  the  West.  I  will  introduce  you  under  any  name 
you  choose!  There  is  going  to  be  a  stunning  New 
York  girl  at  the  ball — lots  of  money  and  style — I  want 
you  to  meet  her.  She's  just  my  sort  and  I  want  your 
approval  of  her!" 

Arthur  hesitated  a  moment,  and  then  realized  that 
if  the  pursuit  was  still  hot  on  his  trail,  the  last  place 
he  would  be  sought  for  would  be  at  a  high  society 
function.  So  he  shook  hands  with  Blair  and  ex 
claimed  heartily:  "I'll  go  you,  Blair!  One  good  fling 
before  I  go  West  to  make  my  fortune,  and  if  I  make  it, 
Blair,  I  promise  you  that  you  shall  share  it!" 

For  him,  the  strong  affection  he  bore  for  Esther  and 
the  desire  in  his  heart  to  do  justice  to  Blair,  were 
now  the  main  motives  of  his  life.  And  he  would  have 
this  farewell  joyance  with  Blair. 

Blair  took  him  first  to  Mr.  Abraham  Bloom's  pri 
vate  "club,"  and  here,  despite  Arthur's  wiser  coun 
cils,  Blair  plunged  again  at  roulette  and  lost  the  money 
he  had  obtained  on  his  watch  at  the  pawnbroker's  and 
half  of  what  Arthur  had  secured  at  the  same  place  on 
the  diamond — of  which,  of  course,  Blair  knew  nothing. 

Up  to  Richmond  this  night  of  Mrs.  Randolph's  ball, 
came  Hagar.  She  brought  with  her  Esther,  from 
whom  she  was  resolved  never  again  to  be  parted. 
Hagar  brought  also,  as  half  servant,  half  bodyguard, 
her  lieutenant  in  her  gipsy  queenship,  Luke  Lovell. 


72  The  'Diamond  from  the  Sky 

She  first  called,  as  upon  an  old  acquaintance,  on  Tom 
Blake,  the  detective,  returned  to  Richmond  from  Fair 
fax  and  the  Lee  murder  case. 

It  took  but  few  inquiries  with  the  means  at  Blake's 
command,  to  locate  Blair  Stanley,  cutting  a  swath  in 
Richmond's  gayest  circles.  It  was  with  surprise  Hagar 
learned,  and  a  happy  surprise,  too,  that  Blair  Stanley 
was  alive  and  seemingly  uninjured,  the  while  Arthur 
had  believed  he  had  killed  him.  And  then  later,  in 
the  evening,  Blake  brought  her  word  that  Arthur  was 
with  Blair,  under  an  assumed  name,  and,  it  was  evi 
dent,  was  going  to  the  Randolph  ball  with  Blair  that 
night. 

On  many  occasions  the  thrifty  Hagar  had  turned 
such  fashionable  functions  as  the  Randolph  ball  to 
good  account.  She  knew  the  idle  rich  welcomed  the 
diversion  of  the  impromptu  appearance  of  a  gipsy 
fortune  teller,  on  such  occasions.  As  a  gipsy  fortune 
teller  she  determined  to  appear,  and  confront  Arthur 
and  get  the  diamond  ere  he  left  Richmond  to  make 
his  way  in  the  world. 

Meanwhile,  a  fair  vision  was  on  the  threshold  of 
Mr.  Abraham  Bloom's  private  "club."  This  fair  vision 
was  none  other  than  that  stunningly  attired  and  vi 
vacious  woman  of  the  world,  Vivian  Marston.  Abe's 
"club"  was  on  a  quiet  side  street.  The  supposed  New 
York  society  belle  ran  little  risk  of  being  seen  by  any 
of  Richmond's  best  society  people  at  four  in  the  after 
noon,  as  she  hurriedly  passed  from  her  waiting  cab 
into  the  double  doorway  of  the  "club  house." 

Mr.  Abraham  Bloom  received  the  supposed  Miss 


The  Prodigal's  Progress  73 

Marston  with  an  astonishing  air  of  friendly  familiar 
ity. 

"Surprised  to  see  me  in  your  town,  Abe?"  asked 
Vivian  gaily.  "Well,  I  met  one  of  your  society  dames, 
Mrs.  Randolph,  at  Palm  Beach  last  winter.  I  made 
a  hit  with  her,  and  I  am  here  as  her  guest.  She 
gives  that  big  blowout  you  hear  so  much  about,  to 
night.  I  want  to  pick  up  some  rich  guy  in  Richmond 
and  marry  and  settle  down  among  the  Southern  aris 
tocracy.  I  have  plenty  of  fine  clothes,  but  I  had  to 
hock  my  glitter  stuff  in  New  York  to  get  the  clothes 
and  get  here.  I  want  to  beg,  borrow  or  steal  a  fine 
outfit  of  jewelry,  and  I  want  you  to  help  me  get  the 
loan  of  some — unless  you  get  enlargement  of  the 
heart  and  present  it  to  me." 

"Nix  on  that  generosity  stuff,  Vi,  old  girl,"  replied 
Mr.  Bloom.  "Business  is  bum,  there's  no  money  in 
Richmond  except  the  old  Confederate  bills  they 
printed  here  by  the  ton  during  the  Civil  War.  But  I 
got  a  brother  who  runs  a  hock  shop " 

"And  you  and  your  brother  catch  them  coming  and 
going?"  merrily  interjected  the  New  York  society 
leader,  so  called.  "After  you  break  the  boobs,  your 
brother  gets  their  jewelry." 

"Never  you  mind  about  that,  kiddo,"  replied  Mr. 
Bloom  affably,  "I'll  give  you  a  note  to  brother  Ike 
to  lend  you  all  the  ice  in  the  refrigerator.  He'll  fix 
you  out  with  sparklers  till  you'll  look  like  a  chande 
lier." 

Miss  Marston  departed  from  Mr.  Abe  Bloom's  es 
tablishment,  with  a  compelling  note  to  his  brother,  the 
pawnbroker.  The  best  Mr.  Ike  Bloom  had  in  the 


74  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

shop  was  the  great  diamond  recently  pawned  by  a 
stranger.  In  a  fatal  moment  Mr.  Ike  Bloom  displayed 
it  to  the  stunning-looking  New  York  friend  of  his 
brother,  and  that  dazzled  young  woman  had  eyes  for 
nothing  else. 

"That  for  me!"  she  cried.  "And  it  would  be  a  sacri 
lege  to  wear  anything  else  with  it!" 

"Be  very  careful  of  it,"  warned  the  cautious  Mr. 
Isaac  Bloom  reluctantly,  "I  don't  know  where  it  came 
from,  but  when  you  wear  that  I  know  you  are  wear 
ing  one  of  the  finest  diamonds  in  the  world!" 

"They  can't  come  too  good  for  me,  Mr.  Bloom!" 
said  Vivian,  as  she  gazed  enraptured  at  the  great 
jewel  in  its  antique  setting,  and  swept  it  into  her  purse 
and  departed  smiling. 

That  night  Vivian  Marston,  her  radiant  beauty 
set  off  by  the  great  diamond  blazing  on  her  fair  bosom, 
was  the  cynosure  of  all  eyes  at  Mrs.  Randolph's  ball, 
as  she  stood  with  her  hostess  on  the  receiving  line. 

Arthur  and  Blair  gasped  at  her  beauty,  but  stared 
as  if  turned  to  stone  to  see  the  Stanley  jewel  gleaming 
on  the  bosom  of  this  fair  stranger  in  Richmond. 

Hagar,  brought  around  by  Blake  and  admitted  as 
soon  as  her  application  reached  the  hostess,  gasped, 
too,  to  see  the  diamond  flaunted  by  this  dark,  luxuri 
ous  stranger.  Hagar's  first  thought  was  that  Arthur 
had  given  it  to  this  bold-faced  beauty,  and  her  heart 
again  hardened  against  him. 

Esther,  dazzled  by  the  lights  and  the  luxury,  clung 
timidly  to  Hagar's  arm.  She  had  never  seen  "the 
Diamond  from  the  Sky"  before,  nor  had  she  ever 
heard  its  history. 


The  Prodigal's  Progress  75 

"Shall  we  have  the  fortunes  first?"  asked  the  hostess 
of  her  guest  from  New  York.  "It  will  be  great  fun 
and  help  to  get  things  started." 

Hagar  had  given  no  sign  of  recognition  to  Arthur, 
and  he  in  turn  was  relieved  that  his  gipsy  mother  did 
not  seem  intent  on  creating  a  scene.  He  stood  aloof 
with  Blair,  and  both  of  them  gazed  silently  from  afar 
as  though  fascinated  at  the  great  diamond  blazing  on 
the  breast  of  Vivian  Marston. 

How  came  it  there?  was  the  thought  of  both  of 
them.  For,  in  all  their  reconciliation,  they  assidu 
ously  avoided  discussing  this  source  of  family  dis 
sension  and  hatred. 

"I  have  a  wondrous  fortune  to  tell  this  lady,"  said 
Hagar  huskily,  as  she  indicated  Vivian.  "Will  she  go 
aside  and  wait  for  me?" 

"What  fun!  You  must  tell  me  all  your  wondrous 
fortune!  Now  don't  forget!"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Ran 
dolph,  as  Vivian  Marston  smiled  and  nodded  assent 
to  Hagar's  request,  and  glided  away  to  a  seat  by  a 
low  heavily  curtained  window  in  the  small  tea  room 
off  the  great  Randolph  parlors. 

Vivian  had  just  settled  herself  with  the  serene  self- 
satisfaction  that  she  was  the  sensation  of  the  everiing — 
she  and  the  gleaming  gem  upon  her  breast.  Then  she 
saw  Hagar,  leaving  Esther  to  be  gently  patronized  by 
Mrs.  Randolph,  coming  toward  her.  Miss  Marston 
had  only  just  settled  herself  back  in  the  low  gilt  chair 
against  the  parted  velvet  hangings  of  the  window, 
when  she  felt  a  strong  hand  clutch  at  her  throat, 
throttling  her  through  the  curtains  so  that  she  could 


76  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

not  utter  any  sound.  Then  a  brawny  forearm  drew 
back  her  shapely  neck,  and  the  strangling  hand 
loosened  its  hold  on  her  throat  and  snatched  away 
the  borrowed  jewel  of  which  she  had  been  so  proud! 


CHAPTER  V 
FOR  THE  SAKE  OF  A  FALSE  FRIEND 

HAGAR'S  hands  almost  touched  "the  Diamond 
from  the  Sky,"  as  she  clutched  at  it  over 
the  shoulder  of  Vivian  Marston,  as  the  jewel 
disappeared  through  the  velvet  window  cur 
tains,  clenched  in  a  strong,  dark  fist. 

As  for  Vivian  Marston,  she  caught  her  breath  with 
a  great  gulping  sob  and  then  she  shrieked  in  wild 
alarm  and  pain,  for  the  hands  that  had  so  mysteri 
ously  throttled  her  and  snatched  from  her  breast  the 
great  borrowed  gem,  had  been  no  gentle  ones. 

Outside  the  Randolph  mansion,  Luke  Lovell  was 
scuttling  through  the  darkness,  with  his  glistening 
booty.  Idling  on  the  outside  and  waiting  for  his  mis 
tress,  Hagar,  the  gipsy  queen,  and  Esther,  Luke  had 
glanced  through  the  low  window  only  to  have  his  gaze 
fall  upon  the  blazing  jewel. 

Never  overscrupulous,  Luke  had  always  remembered 
the  whispered  gipsy  gossip  that  Matt  Harding,  the 
dead  husband  of  Hagar,  had  made  his  fortune,  now 
possessed  by  Hagar,  by  some  bold  coup  among  the 
wealthy  gentle  folks,  a  coup  of  great  daring  but  one 
the  exact  way  and  why  of  which  no  living  gipsy  now, 
save  Hagar,  knew. 

But  here,  thought  the  desperate  Luke,  was  his 

'  77 


78  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

chance  for  fortune.  He  was  quick  to  follow  out  the 
evil  impulse.  The  deed  was  easy,  and  he,  another 
poor  gipsy,  had  a  fortune  in  his  grasp,  perhaps  by  a 
similar  chance  as  the  dead  Matt  Harding  had  had. 

Luke  gained  the  street,  with  the  wild  idea  to  hide 
the  diamond  in  the  first  safe  nook  or  cranny,  and 
then  to  return  as  quickly  as  he  could  to  bear  the 
brunt  of  suspicion  and  of  search. 

Inside  the  ballroom  all  was  confusion  and  alarm, 
women  screamed  and  fainted  and  the  men,  foremost 
among  them  Arthur  and  Blair,  surrounded  the  hysteri 
cal  Vivian  Marston,  listening  to  her  broken  story  of 
being  strangled  and  robbed,  in  the  twinkling  of  an 
eye,  by  two  strong  hands  belonging  to  an  unseen  thug. 

On  the  doorstep,  a  frightened  flunkey  blew  a  police 
whistle  again  and  again.  One  policeman  who  had 
been  at  the  portals  for  some  tune,  but  had  sauntered 
away  to  give  an  inspection  to  his  beat,  was  heard  re 
turning  with  rapid  footsteps  in  the  dark.  Far  off, 
in  the  other  direction,  another  policeman  could  be 
heard  running  to  the  scene,  and  sounding  his  night 
stick  on  the  sidewalk  as  he  came. 

Luke  saw  the  gleam  of  brass  buttons  under  a  gas 
lamp,  not  a  hundred  yards  away ;  he  turned  to  flee  in 
the  opposite  direction.  But  coming  in  this  direction 
was  the  other  accursed  policeman,  making  the  night 
hideous  with  the  pounding  of  his  club  upon  the  pave 
ment.  Luke  realized  he  was  trapped.  To  throw  the 
diamond  into  the  street  might  mean  its  finding  and 
his  subsequent  conviction  for  its  theft.  His  hand 
struck  something  cold,  it  was  an  iron  mail-box  on  a 
lamp-post.  Beneath  the  lamp-post  was  a  circle  of 


For  the  Sake  of  a  False  Friend  79 

shade  that  masked  his  action.  Quick  as  thought  he 
dropped  the  jewel  with  its  locket  and  chain  into  the 
mail-box  and  ran  toward  the  policeman  pounding  the 
sidewalk,  crying  excitedly:  "He  crossed  over  here 
and  went  through  that  hedge  and  lawn!" 

"Oh,  no,  he  didn't,"  said  the  puffing  policeman, 
giving  the  sinister-looking  Luke  a  glance  of  quick  sus 
picion,  "he  ran  right  into  my  arms.  I  got  him, 
Brady!"  he  added  to  the  other  policeman,  who  now 
drew  near.  Together  they  haled  the  protesting  Luke 
to  the  portals  of  the  Randolph  mansion,  on  the  front 
street,  and  they  dragged  him  in  among  the  excited 
guests. 

Here  Luke  told  his  story  with  many  vehement  as 
severations  as  to  his  own  honesty.  He  said  he  had 
strolled  to  the  corner  of  the  house  from  the  front 
doorstep  and  had  been  astounded  to  see  a  tall,  dark 
man  leap  from  the  ground  floor  balcony  by  the  side 
window,  dart  across  the  street  and  through  a  hedge 
and  across  a  lawn  on  the  opposite  side,  and  disappear 
in  the  dark.  He  was  making  after  this  fleeing 
marauder,  when  the  policeman  grabbed  him,  he  added 
sullenly. 

Hagar  vouched  for  her  man,  and  Luke  insisted  on 
being  searched.  This  being  only  fair,  the  search  was 
made,  and  the  missing  jewel  was  not  found.  But  the 
police  insisted  on  holding  the  gipsy,  and  he  was  being 
led  away,  when  as  fate  would  have  it,  an  even  greater 
contretemps  was  to  occur,  an  even  more  unenviable 
notoriety  was  to  attend  Richmond's  most  fashion 
able  function — Mrs.  Burton  Randolph's  annual  ball. 


80  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

Sheriff  Sam  Swain,  of  Fairfax,  appeared  in  the  door 
way,  accompanied  by  Detective  Tom  Blake. 

"I  want  Arthur  Stanley  over  there  for  the  murder 
0f  Doctor  Henry  Lee,  of  Fairfax!"  cried  the  sheriff. 

The  face  of  Blair  Stanley  blanched.  "Remember 
your  promise,  Arthur!"  he  whispered.  "You  cannot 
go  to  the  gallows  for  me,  you  must  tell  the  truth  if 
you  are  tried.  But  you  can  save  me  if  you  escape!" 

Arthur  nodded,  and,  like  a  flash,  broke  loose  from 
the  grasp  of  Sheriff  Swain.  Blair  fought  as  best  he 
could  to  aid  his  supposed  cousin,  but  his  now  hysteri 
cal  relative,  the  chagrined  Mrs.  Randolph,  threw  her 
arms  wildly  about  him  and  held  and  hampered  him 
as  she  shrieked:  "They  will  kill  you,  Blair!"  Then, 
too,  Vivian  Marston  added  her  efforts  to  restrain  him. 
It  was  no  time  for  Hagar  to  speak.  She  realized  that 
it  were  better  that  Arthur  escape,  if  he  could,  even 
under  the  onus  of  unjust  suspicion. 

One  of  the  policemen  released  his  hold  on  Luke 
Lovell  and  came  to  the  aid  of  the  sheriff.  Arthur 
fought  like  a  madman  and  the  struggle  surged  from 
the  ballroom  to  the  hall  and  out  down  the  steps  to 
the  sidewalk.  Arthur  was  slowly  but  surely  over 
powered,  when  Hagar,  who  hovered  near  the  fighting 
men,  plucked  Detective  Blake  by  the  sleeve  and  gave 
him  a  significant  sign.  Such  was  the  mastery  of  that 
look  and  sign,  that  the  detective  relaxed  his  efforts 
in  aiding  his  more  official  brethren  of  the  law. 

Arthur  wrenched  himself  loose  and  felled  the  sheriff 
and  the  policeman,  and,  breaking  through  the  ring  of 
cabmen  and  flunkies,  was  gone! 

Down  the  street,  the  quiet,  deserted  street  of  Rich- 


For  the  Sake  of  a  False  Friend  81 

mond's  fashionable  residential  neighborhood,  he  fled. 
Behind  him  the  sound  of  the  police  whistles  and  the 
pursuit  grew  fainter.  Arthur,  in  splendid  physical 
trim,  and  spurred  by  excitement,  ran  like  a  deer.  He 
slipped  down  an  obscure  alley,  crossed  by  the  backs  of 
a  half  score  of  mansions,  and  found  himself  in  a  mean 
street  that  led  down  to  the  railroad  tracks.  The  pur 
suit  was  left  far  behind,  or  else  it  had  gone  off  on  a 
false  scent  in  another  direction. 

He  slackened  his  pace  and  regained  his  breath. 
"How  shall  I  ever  escape  in  these  togs?"  he  thought  to 
himself  ruefully.  "They'll  have  my  description  broad 
cast  in  an  hour."  But  he  did  not  falter  for  all  that, 
but  hurried  ,on  in  the  night  through  the  deserted  mean 
streets,  and  in  some  fifteen  minutes'  brisk  walk,  found 
himself  by  rare  good  luck  in  the  railroad  yards  and 
by  a  long  freight  train,  just  slowly  moving  out. 

With  reckless  haste  he  threw  himself  under  a 
freight  car  and  grasped  and  drew  himself  upon  the 
brake  beam.  It  was  a  strange  way  to  travel  for  the 
erstwhile  heir  of  Stanley.  He  had  read  of  tramps  rid 
ing  the  brake  beams,  but  he  had  never  thought  he 
would  come  to  do  it;  and  now  here  he  was  in  the  dust 
and  grime,  on  a  creaking,  narrow  and  greasy  brake 
beam  just  over  the  cruel  wheels  that  would  mangle 
and  grind  him  to  death  did  he  falter  and  fall. 

His  head  ached  from  the  noise  and  the  reaction  of 
all  he  had  passed  through  in  the  crowded  hour  at  Mrs. 
Randolph's  ball.  Every  bone  in  his  body  ached  as  he 
held  to  the  jolting,  creaking  brake  beam.  Cramped 
and  bruised  from  the  position  in  which  he  lay  on  his 
narrow,  perilous  perch  above  the  grinding  wheels,  a 


82  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

dreadful  impulse  seized  upon  him  to  let  go  his  strain 
ing  grasp  and  end  the  now  fitful  fever  of  his  life  under 
the  clanking  wheels  that  ground  and  groaned  beneath 
him. 

What  was  he,  after  all,  but  a  living  falsehood  and  a 
cheat?  Not  a  Stanley,  of  Stanley  Hall,  spending  with 
a  free  hand  as  became  a  reckless  Virginia  gentleman, 
but  a  gipsy  impostor,  a  cheat,  wasting  substance  that 
was  not  his.  He  was  a  fugitive  from  justice  and  a 
bankrupt — believed,  by  all  who  had  known  him,  to  be 
the  murderer  of  a  kind  and  gentle  man  who  had  never 
harmed  him,  but  on  the  contrary  had  been  his  friend 
and  had  been  one  of  the  agencies  by  which  he,  a 
hedge-born  gipsy,  had  been  reared  in  a  mansion  under 
a  high  name  never  his! 

The  glamor  of  his  self-sacrifice  in  shielding  Blair 
and  thus  making  himself  a  voluntary  murder  suspect, 
passed  from  Arthur.  He  saw  now  that  in  saving  Blair 
he  had  only  done  so  to  save  himself  from  the  open 
shame  and  humiliation  that  would  come  to  him  in 
the  searching  inquiries  of  a  murder  trial.  The  evidence 
would  result  in  his  acquittal  of  murder,  but  would 
leave  him  stripped  of  the  peacock's  feathers  of  the 
Stanley  heritage  that  he,  the  gipsy  jackdaw,  had  worn 
so  long. 

He  saw  in  the  dust  and  darkness  the  baleful  gleam 
of  "the  Diamond  from  the  Sky";  he  saw  the  accusa 
tive,  fierce  gaze  of  his  gipsy  mother,  and  then,  like  a 
benediction  and  a  saving  grace,  he  saw  the  sweet  face 
and  the  sad,  wistful  eyes  of  Esther! 

He  grasped  the  cold  iron  rod  staunchly  now.    Let 


For  the  Sake  of  a  False  Friend  83 

destiny  deal  him  what  it  might,  he  would  stand  the 
buffets  and  fight  on  for  Esther's  sake! 

And  what  of  the  diamond? 

Torn  from  the  fair  throat  of  Vivian  Marston,  it 
lies  in  a  mail-box,  with  no  light  to  gleam  upon  it  and 
be  reflected  back  intensified.  With  letters  and  pack 
ages  and  newspapers  folded  tight,  lies  "The  Diamond 
from  the  Sky"  without  a  stamp  upon  it  to  make  it 
mail  of  any  class! 

Then  comes  the  busy  mail  collector,  with  his  mail- 
collecting  automobile.  There  is  some  excitement  over 
at  the  Randolph  mansion.  Police  whistles  are  blow 
ing  and  a  thundering  fight  is  going  on  on  the  side 
walk.  But  Bob  Adams  is  one  of  Uncle  Sam's  mail 
men.  Way  for  the  U.  S.  mail,  which  has  no  time  to 
stop  for  police,  police  whistles  or  shindies  on  the 
street!  But  his  attention  is  attracted  to  what  is  going 
on,  and  also  to  some  hurrying  passers  by,  and  he  opens 
the  mail-box  and  mechanically  drags  its  contents  into 
the  open  maw  of  the  draw-string  canvas  mail-bag. 
Into  the  sack,  while  Bob  Adams,  mail  man,  looks  with 
averted  head  toward  "the  elegant  scrap,"  goes  the 
mail  from  box  413,  and  with  it  goes  the  Stanley 
diamond. 

Bob  Adams  gets  back  from  his  collection  route  to 
the  post  office  an  hour  later.  His  work  is  through, 
and  he  stops  in  to  see  his  friend,  the  sergeant  at 
police  headquarters,  to  learn  what  the  row  was  all 
about  that  caused  such  a  commotion  and  evidently 
"put  a  crimp"  in  the  swell  ball  given  by  that  grande 
dame  of  Richmond,  Mrs.  Burton  Randolph. 

Meanwhile,  on  the  sorting  tables  at  the  post  office, 


84  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

the  local  collections  are  being  dumped  from  the  mail- 
bag.  The  clerk  loosens  the  draw  strings  and  holds 
the  bags  up  by  their  bottom  corners  and  shakes  out 
the  mail  with  deft  and  practised  rapidity.  On  the 
floor,  the  emptied  mail-bags  pile.  They  see  hard  serv 
ice  and  some  are  rent  and  frayed. 

The  inspector  comes  on  his  rounds  and  goes  over  the 
empties,  marking  briskly  with  a  large  piece  of  chalk 
"Repair ! "  on  those  that  need  mending  and  renovation. 
Out,  then,  to  the  loading  platform  go  the,  for  the  time 
being,  condemned  mail-bags,  and  there  all  night  they 
He  in  the  arc  light,  with  only  the  eye  of  the  night 
watchman  upon  them  occasionally. 

Dawn  breaks  at  a  small  way-station  forty  miles 
from  Richmond.  Here,  the  freight  train  halts  for  or 
ders,  and  here  Arthur,  so  cramped  and  sore  that  every 
fibre  of  his  being  aches,  crawls  from  his  perilous  perch 
and  creeps  from  under  the  car  into  the  dusky  daylight. 
Choked  with  dust,  marked  and  matted  with  grease  and 
dirt,  dishevelled  and  pitiful  in  what  was  his  masculine 
finery  of  the  night  before,  Arthur  limps  to  a  small 
pool  of  water  between  the  tracks  and  is  not  too  dainty 
to  throw  himself  down  beside  it  and  suck  up  its  re 
freshing  coolness  to  his  cracked  lips  and  parched  and 
feverish  throat. 

Then  a  hasty  wash  of  hands  and  face  by  the  aid  of 
his  handkerchief,  ablutions  that  refresh  him  greatly, 
although  they  have  little  effect  upon  the  grease  and 
dirt,  without  the  aid  of  soap.  One  hasty  glance  around 
and  Arthur  notes  no  hostile  or  even  friendly  glance 
is  on  him.  The  trainmen  are  busy  with  their  own 
concerns  at  water  tank  and  telegraph  station,  far  up 


For  the  Sake  of  a  False  Friend  85 

the  track  and  on  the  other  side  of  the  train.  Across 
from  him  is  an  outgoing  freight,  going  out  on  a  branch 
line.  The  open  door  of  a  freight  car  seems  to  call  him 
to  its  sheltering  haven  of  escape.  Arthur  darts  across 
the  track,  realizing  what  a  ridiculous  figure  he  must 
seem  in  his  stained  and  dishevelled  dress  suit, 
a  marked  and  battered  silk  hat,  still  clamped  tightly 
on  his  head. 

The  outgoing  freight  gains  momentum  as  Arthur 
flings  himself  half  into  the  open  doorway.  He 
misses  his  hold  and  would  have  fallen  under  the 
wheels,  but  that  two  strong  and  very  dirty  hands  have 
seized  him  by  the  shoulder  and  another  pair,  as  dirty 
and  as  strong,  grasp  him  also  and  he  is  hauled  into  the 
car,  and  finds  himself  safe  and  on  his  side,  and  look 
ing  up  into  the  countenances  of  three  grinning,  grimy 
knights  of  the  road. 

"You  had  a  close  shave  of  it,  bo,"  wheezes  the 
whiskey  voice  of  the  first  tramp  to  seize  him.  "But 
I  gotcher,  Steve!" 

"It's  a  plant,  Strap!"  cautions  a  little  rat-faced  hobo 
who  has  skulked  in  the  back  of  the  car  and  has  given 
no  hand  in  hauling  Arthur  from  the  jaws  of  death. 

"Watcher  mean  a  plant?"  asks  the  one  addressed 
as  Strap. 

"Can't  you  see  it's  a  railroad  bull,"  retorts  the  rat- 
faced  tramp,  "would  any  gaycat  be  wearin'  the  soup 
and  fish?"  And  he  pointed  to  Arthur's  now  dirty  and 
dishevelled  evening  attire. 

"Maybe  de  gink  got  them  togs  handed  to  him?" 
suggests  the  other  tramp,  who  had  assisted  Arthur 
into  the  "side-door  Pullman." 


86  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

"Aw,  can't  youz  see  dem  glad  rags  is  hissen?  Why, 
dey  are  doity,  but  dey  fits  him!"  says  the  cynic. 

"You're  right,  Scotty,"  replied  the  leader  of  the 
trio,  and  without  ado  he  struck  Arthur  a  terrific  blow 
behind  the  ear  that  stunned  him  for  the  moment  and 
the  next  instant  Arthur  was  fighting  wildly  with  the 
three  strong  and  active  outcasts. 

Meanwhile,  what  of  the  diamond?    Where  was  it? 

Bob  Adams  had  swept  it  into  the  mail-bag  without 
seeing  it,  the  mail  sorter  at  the  post  office  had  given 
no  cry  on  beholding  it  fall  upon  the  sorting  table,  for 
it  had  not  fallen  there  and  blazed  back  its  sinister 
gleams  to  the  incandescent  light  above.  Where  was 
"The  Diamond  from  the  Sky?" 

The  watchman  relieved  at  dawn  on  the  loading  plat 
form  outside,  might  have  known  as  he  stepped  across 
the  mail-bags  marked  "Repair!"  But  the  side  of  his 
right  brogan  just  grazed  it.  The  truck  driver  might 
have  known  as  he  loaded  the  bags  to  be  repaired,  for 
like  many  a  poor  man  he  held  a  fortune  in  his  hands, 
for  once  at  least  in  his  poverty-stricken  life,  and  never 
knew  it. 

Held  by  its  clasp  in  the  ravellings  of  the  inner 
seam  at  the  bottom  of  the  bag,  the  heirloom  of  the 
Stanleys  rested  in  the  darkness  of  the  soiled  interior 
of  the  service-worn  old  mail-bag.  The  truckman  held 
it  in  his  arms  on  the  top  of  the  last  half  dozen  bags 
he  tossed  on  his  load.  But  his  fingers  just  missed 
the  feel  of  it.  And  so  he  threw  away  his  fortune,  per 
haps  an  evil  one,  and  drove  away  his  truck  with  his 
mind  upon  other  matters  than  fortunes  or  missing 
gems  of  price. 


Copyright,  1916.  Q.   W.  tXlling, 


i  perwutjitm  r,f  the    \^,-fh    7^ ' T77) 

Quabba  and  Clarence. 


For  the  Sake  of  a  False  Friend  87 

Down  the  city  street  from  his  humble  lodging 
place,  up  a  dirty  alley  in  the  poorest  part  of  the  town, 
came  Quabba,  musician  and  traveller.  And  he  trav 
elled  not  alone.  With  him  was  his  orchestra  and  his 
collector  of  external  revenue.  True,  his  orchestra  was 
but  the  smallest  of  small  hand  organs,  and  his  collec 
tor  of  external  revenue,  a  monkey;  but  the  organ  was 
a  fairly  good  one,  sweet  of  tone,  and  the  monkey  was 
a  Simian  of  sorts  and  his  name  was  Clarence.  So  it 
was  that  Quabba  was  gay  of  heart  and  sang  to  him 
self  as  he  trudged  along.  Only  a  poor  Italian  gipsy 
hunchback  organ  grinder,  with  his  monkey,  was 
Quabba,  but  his  heart  was  light,  his  conscience  un 
troubled  and  his  appetite,  alas,  only  too  good.  The 
whole  wide  world  was  his  and  no  man  was  his  master, 
and  so  Quabba,  the  hunchback,  sang  and  winked  at  the 
monkey,  Clarence,  as  if  to  say:  "We  haven't  a  penny, 
Clarence,  but  what  an  appetite  we'll  have  for  break 
fast — as  soon  as  we  pick  up  the  price  of  one!" 

"Hi  there,  get  out  of  the  way!"  shouted  a  rough 
voice,  and  Quabba,  roused  from  his  reflections,  stepped 
aside  just  in  time  to  avoid  being  struck  by  a  passing 
truck.  A  jolt  of  the  vehicle  threw  an  empty  mail-bag 
marked  with  chalk  "Repair"  from  a  pile  of  these  at 
the  back  of  the  truck. 

The  hunchback  picked  up  the  mail-bag  and  called 
after  the  driver.  But  that  worthy  failed  to  hear  the 
cry  and  Quabba  waved  the  old  mail-bag  after  him. 
Then  he  felt  something  the  size  of  a  walnut  in  his 
hand  under  the  dirty  canvas  of  the  bag.  His  sensitive 
fingers  ran  along  the  side  seam  of  the  sack  and  he 


88  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

could  feel,  even  through  the  thickness  of  the  canvas, 
that  the  object  in  the  bag  was  a  chain  and  locket.  , 

The  hunchback  darted  into  a  nearby  alley  between 
two  warehouses.  No  one  had  seen  the  mail-bag  fall 
from  the  truck,  no  one  noticed  Quabba  going  up  the 
deserted  alley.  It  was  only  the  work  of  an  instant  to 
loosen  the  draw  string  and  turn  the  mail-bag  inside 
out,  and  there,  entangled  by  its  upper  clasp  in  the 
seam  at  the  bottom  of  the  bag,  was  the  precious  dia 
mond. 

The  itinerant  musician  thrust  the  jewel  and  its 
chain  into  one  of  his  pockets,  and  popped  the  mail- 
bag  into  a  garbage  can  hard  by,  then  whistling  softly, 
his  heart  beating  high,  Quabba  winked  again  to  the 
monkey  and  ceasing  to  whistle,  he  whispered:  "We 
are  rich  men  now,  Clarence!" 

He  soon  afterwards  came  out  from  the  alley,  this 
hunchback  organ  grinder  with  his  monkey,  and  he 
was  the  present  possessor  of  the  Stanley  heirloom,  a 
ransom  for  a  King! 

In  the  empty  freight  car  as  it  bowled  along,  the 
combat  was  over.  Spent,  worn  and  battered,  Arthur 
lay  bound  on  the  floor  of  the  car,  his  hands  pinioned 
behind  him  by  the  dirty  leathern  belt  of  Mr.  Strap 
McGee,  gentleman  of  leisure. 

"He  ain't  no  bull  in  plain  clothes,  if  dem  is  plain 
clothes!"  panted  Mr.  McGee,  as  he  nursed  a  swelling 
eye,  "he  ain't  no  railroad  dick,  eider,  he's  a  welter 
weight  champeen,"  he  added. 

This  also  was  the  opinion  of  Scotty,  the  rat-faced 
little  tramp,  whose  suspicions  had  caused  the  combat, 
and  likewise  were  they  the  opinions  of  Chicago  Pete, 


For  the  Sake  of  a  False  Friend  89 

the  bulbous-nosed  third  member  of  the  trio  of  trav 
ellers.  For  all  these  gentlemen  bore  many  signs  of 
the  conflict  through  which  they  had  passed.  They 
had  conquered  Arthur,  but  at  a  frightful  cost  to  the 
allies. 

"He  busted  me  snoot!"  moaned  Chicago  Pete;  "an' 
jest  for  dat  I'll  hand  him  a  shoe  full  of  feet!"  and, 
standing  over  Arthur,  helpless  and  pinioned,  the  trav 
eller  from  Chicago  gave  him  a  brutal  kick  in  the  ribs. 

"An'  jest  for  dat  we'll  frisk  him,  an'  swipe  his  glad 
rags,  too,"  asserted  Mr.  Strap  McGee. 

They  took  some  fifty  dollars  they  found  upon  their 
victim,  for,  in  addition  to  having  lent  Blair  money  to 
lose  in  Mr.  Abe  Bloom's  gambling  establishment,  Ar 
thur  had  generously  given  him  almost  all  of  the  rest 
of  the  proceeds  from  the  pawning  of  the  diamond. 

Then  the  tramps  stripped  Arthur  and  proceeded 
gravely  to  "shoot  craps"  for  his  clothes.  They  were 
won  by  the  more  fortunate  Mr.  Strap  McGee,  more 
fortunate  in  the  fact  that  the  dice  were  his  and  he 
knew  how  to  manipulate  them.  Bruised  and  battered 
as  he  was,  Arthur  could  not  restrain  a  laugh  at  the 
ludicrous  aspect  the  tramp  leader  presented  in  the 
dirty  and  dishevelled  evening  clothes,  with  the  bat 
tered  silk  hat  perched  jauntily  on  his  head. 

The  freight  train  stopped  at  a  water  tank,  and  the 
three  tramps  withdrew  with  many  caustic  remarks  at 
parting.  Arthur  freed  himself  from  his  bonds  and, 
with  repugnance,  donned  the  frowsy  garments  of  Mr. 
McGee.  Then  he,  too,  sprang  from  the  freight  car 
and  made  off  through  a  cornfield  across  the  country. 
He  reflected  with  a  smile  that  the  actions  of  the  tramps 


90  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

would  be  his  salvation.  He  was  right  in  this,  for 
shortly  afterward,  Mr.  Strap  McGee,  despite  his  in 
dignant  protests  and  explanations,  was  seized  by  rail 
road  detectives  and  held,  on  a  telegraphic  description 
of  his  attire,  as  Arthur  Stanley,  wanted  for  murder. 

At  sunset,  a  good-looking  young  tramp  stopped  in 
the  dooryard  of  Alex  Smith's  farm  and  asked  for 
work.  The  farmer  put  him  to  chopping  wood  for  his 
supper,  and  so  well  did  he  acquit  himself,  and  so  soon 
did  he  gain  the  good  graces  of  the  farmer's  wife  and 
the  farmer's  little  girl,  that  despite  the  rags  of  his 
attire,  John  Powell,  for  such  was  the  name  Arthur 
gave,  was  greeted  on  the  barn  floor  in  the  morning, 
after  a  restful  night  in  the  haymow,  with  a  proffer 
of  steady  employment. 

That  same  night,  by  the  wayside,  Quabba  and  his 
external  revenue  collector,  the  monkey  Clarence, 
camped  beneath  a  tree.  Again  Quabba  showed  his 
companion  the  treasure  trove,  and  again  he  said  to 
the  monkey:  "We  are  rich  men  now,  Clarence!" 
Then  he  placed  the  diamond  in  his  pocket  again  and 
the  monkey  snuggled  close  to  him  and  they  fell  asleep 
and  had  such  dreams  as  man  and  monkey  may. 


CHAPTER  VI 
THE  QUEEN  OF  LOVE  AND  BEAUTY 

DAWN  breaks  upon  a  waking  world  in  sum 
mer.  The  farmer  rouses  for  his  early  tasks, 
the  poor  sluggard  and  the  rich  idler  sleep 
on  in  hard  beds  and  soft. 

Under  a  wayside  tree  the  hunchback  organ  grinder 
stirs  and  wakes.  But  where  is  Clarence,  the  monkey? 
Clarence,  the  companion  and  collector  of  external  rev 
enue  for  Quabba,  is  up  to  some  mischief  at  daybreak, 
and  up  the  tree  for  the  mischief,  is  Clarence.  At  the 
dawn  Clarence  had  awakened  first,  and  with  the  awak 
ening  came  a  monkey's  remembrance  of  something 
bright  and  fine  to  play  with,  that  his  master  had  hid 
den  in  his  pocket,  in  the  starlight  ere  he  slumbered. 
Clarence,  as  crafty  and  clever  as  a  pickpocket,  had 
little  difficulty  in  securing  his  pauper  master's  treas 
ure  without  waking  him.  With  the  diamond  in  his 
hairy,  prehensile  paw,  Clarence  had  climbed  the  tree 
to  examine  it  at  his  leisure.  But  an  owl  in  the  hollow 
above  the  lower  branches  annoys  the  Simian  lapidar- 
ist,  and  when  he  feels  the  jerk  of  his  irate  master  upon 
his  tether,  Clarence  steals  an  egg  from  the  owl's  nest 
in  the  hollow  and  leaves  behind  in  its  place,  the  great 
jewel.  This  to  Clarence's  monkey  mind  was  a  fair  ex 
change  and  not  a  robbery. 

91 


92  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

And  now  his  master  is  wildly  excited,  too.  With 
a  start  he  remembers  his  finding  of  the  diamond  in 
the  mail-bag  and  dives  into  his  pocket  to  find  it  gone. 
He  looks  up  to  see  if  the  mischievous  monkey  has  de 
spoiled  him  of  it.  But  it  is  evident  that  Clarence  has 
had  no  thought  of  such  paltry  things  as  jewels.  Clar 
ence  has  been  robbing  a  bird's  nest.  Even  now  he 
holds  an  owl's  egg  in  his  paw,  and  when  Quabba  gives 
the  monkey's  tether  another  vicious  jerk,  Clarence 
squalls  in  indignation  and  casts  down  the  owl  egg  in 
retaliation,  fair  into  his  master's  upturned  face;  nor 
will  he  now  descend  and  aid  his  frantic  master  in  the 
frenzied  search  that  Quabba  makes  on  the  ground. 
An  eager,  hysterical  search  for  a  jewel  of  price,  so 
soon  found,  so  soon  lost  again! 


At  Stanley  Hall  there  is  still  the  notice  of  bank 
ruptcy  tacked  upon  the  battered  and  padlocked  door. 
The  window  shutters  are  closed,  the  weeds  rankle  on 
the  lawn,  and  already  the  proud  mansion  seems  going 
to  ruin  and  decay. 

A  carriage  drives  up  and  stops  at  its  portals;  from 
the  vehicle  alights  a  gentleman  of  half-legal,  half-real 
estate  agent  appearance.  He  assists  two  ladies  from 
the  carriage.  One  is  a  woman  of  middle  age,  in  rich 
and  matronly  black  silk,  and  the  other,  a  fair,  young 
girl,  modishly  attired. 

And  yet  these  two,  the  elder  woman  and  the 
younger,  are  gipsies,  for  it  is  Hagar  Harding  and  Es 
ther,  her  daughter. 

Since  the  exciting  night  at  Mrs.  Randolph's  ball  in 


The  Queen  of  Love  and  Beauty  93 

Richmond,  Hagar  has  had  one  resolve.  With  her  son 
a  fugitive  and  "The  Diamond  from  the  Sky"  van 
ished  as  mysteriously  as  it  had  come,  Hagar  has  cen 
tered  all  her  hopes  and  all  her  desires  on  Esther. 
Hagar  has  wealth,  what  need  to  hoard  it  further  now? 
So  she  has  come  to  Fairfax,  not  as  a  gipsy  woman  but 
as  a  dowager  of  means,  and  has  rented  the  idle  man 
sion  from  the  trustee  in  bankruptcy.  If  the  plan  to 
rehabilitate  Esther  as  a  Stanley  failed  through  the 
death  of  Doctor  Lee,  supposedly  at  the  hands  of  the 
fugitive  young  master  of  this  very  mansion,  Hagar  has 
leased  the  place  and  will  see  that  Esther  in  this  way 
enters  upon  the  position  in  life  to  which  she  belongs. 

So  eventful  have  been  the  past  few  years  of  her 
life,  that  Esther  has  ceased  to  wonder.  Always  of  a 
gentle  and  obedient  nature,  she  has  assented  to  every 
plan  that  Hagar  has  proposed.  In  the  death  of  Doctor 
Lee,  Esther  realized  she  lost  a  friend,  and  one  who 
had  something  to  tell  her.  If  this  secret  is  shared  by 
Hagar,  whom  she  supposes  is  her  mother,  Esther 
knows  it  will  be  told  her  in  the  fullness  of  time.  So 
these  two  take  up  their  ways  of  life  in  this  wise  at 
Stanley  Hall,  and  we  may  ask  what  befalls  some  others 
whose  lives  are  crossed  with  theirs. 

Vivian  Marston,  from  whose  fair  bosom  the  dia 
mond  had  been  snatched  the  night  of  the  ball,  had 
caught  no  glimpse  of  the  face  of  the  thief  and  stran- 
gler.  Search  had  not  revealed  the  great  jewel,  and  so 
Luke  Lovell  had  been  released. 

At  farmer  Smith's,  a  dozen  miles  from  Stanley  Hall, 
Arthur,  the  fugitive,  labored  for  his  daily  bread.  The 
winsome  little  daughter  of  the  farmer  had  twined  her- 


94  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

self  around  Arthur's  heart.  Happy  and  hardy  and 
healthy  were  his  days.  He  followed  the  plow  and  faced 
the  sun  and  sang.  He  was  gaining  no  fortune  in  the 
world's  goods,  but  he  was  happy  in  the  clean  open 
air  life  of  a  farmer's  helper,  only  would  a  shadow 
come  to  his  face  when  he  thought  of  Esther  and  his 
bitter  mother,  Hagar. 

Was  Esther  his  sister?  Or  was  she,  too,  a  change 
ling?  No  matter  which,  Arthur's  love  for  her  was 
deep  and  pure  as  a  brother's.  He  would  make  a  name 
for  himself  for  her  sake,  and  so  he  faced  the  sun  at 
dawn  and  sang,  and  so  he  faced  the  shadows  of  twi 
light  and  mused  of  Esther. 

One  day  when  little  Nellie  Smith  brought  him  his 
luncheon  to  the  field,  a  torn  scrap  of  newspaper  that 
covered  a  portion  of  it  caught  Arthur's  eye.  It  was 
a  front-page  "scarehead"  of  a  Richmond  paper  that 
in  big-type  hysterics  told  of  the  robbery  at  Mrs.  Ran 
dolph's  ball  and  the  subsequent  added  excitement  of 
his  flight  and  fight  when  he  was  arrested  and  charged 
with  murder.  Then  Arthur  wondered  again  if  he  had 
done  right  in  protecting  Blair.  An  impulse  seized  him 
to  go  to  Fairfax  and  give  himself  up  and  let  the  whole 
truth  be  known.  But  then  he  remembered  his  secret 
was  also  Hagar's,  and  that  she  had  suffered  much. 
So  far  neither  Hagar  nor  Esther's  connection  with 
him  was  known.  No  one  but  he  and  Hagar  knew  he 
was  not  the  heir  of  Stanley.  For  though  Esther  had 
called  him  brother,  it  was  plain  to  Arthur  that  the 
sweet  girl  had  only  used  that  word  to  comfort  him. 

Then  also  he  realized  that  much  in  expiation  must 
be  endured  by  him.  He  felt  that  when  the  time 


The  Queen  of  Love  and  Beauty  95 

came,  Hagar  would  speak,  and  until  then  he  was 
bound  to  silence. 

All  throughout  Fairfax,  the  news  of  Esther's  return 
had  gone  abroad.  The  mystery  of  her  coming  as  Doc 
tor  Lee's  adopted  daughter  and  the  mystery  of  her 
sudden  departure  at  his  death,  added  fuel  to  the  gossip 
that  went  through  the  country  side  when  it  was  known 
that  with  a  handsome,  dark  woman  who  gave  the  name 
of  Hagar  Harding  and  said  she  was  Esther's  mother, 
Doctor  Lee's  erstwhile  ward  had  returned  to  Fairfax. 

With  the  young  men  of  Fairfax,  Esther's  gentle 
ways  and  piquancy  had  gone  far  in  the  few,  short 
months  she  had  lived  beneath  Doctor  Lee's  roof  as 
his  adopted  daughter;  and  now  when  it  was  known 
Esther  had  returned,  the  young  men  of  the  commu 
nity  again  sought  her  out. 

But  the  women  folk  of  the  proud  old  Virginia  neigh 
borhood  kept  aloof  from  the  present  occupants  of 
Stanley  Hall. 

Few,  except  those  who  understand  the  ramifications 
of  kith  and  consanguinity  in  the  old  South,  can  com 
prehend  the  strong  ties  that  blood  and  marriage  make 
in  Virginia.  The  Stanleys,  the  Randolphs,  the  Lees, 
the  Beverlys,  the  Hunters,  and  the  other  famous  old 
families  loved  and  hated  fiercely,  but  strictly  among 
themselves.  Well  sponsored  must  the  stranger  come 
who  would  gain  social  recognition  in  feudal  Virginia. 

After  the  unpleasant  notoriety  that  had  attended 
Mrs.  Randolph's  ball  in  Richmond,  Bert  Randolph's 
mother,  a  first  cousin,  had  invited  the  chagrined  so 
ciety  leader  of  Virginia's  capital  to  Fairfax  and  forget- 
fulness. 


96  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

"My  aunt  is  a  stunner!"  Bert  Randolph  blurted 
boyishly  to  Hagar  and  Esther.  "Ralph,  here,  knows 
what  a  good  sort  she  is,  and  she'll  be  wild  about  you, 
Miss  Esther,  won't  she,  Ralph?" 

And  Ralph  Hunter,  also  smitten  of  Esther,  nodded 
eager  assent,  for  the  two  young  men  had  ridden  over 
to  call  upon  Esther  every  day  since  she  and  her  sup 
posed  mother  had  occupied  Stanley  Hall.  The  gener 
ous-minded  young  men  were  quick  to  realize  that 
there  was  a  veiled  hostility  against  the  strangers  who 
now  had  taken  up  their  abode  at  Stanley  Hall. 

"Yes,"  young  Randolph  rattled  on,  "Aunt  Burton 
Randolph  is  a  stunner — she's  broad-minded,  too,  not 
stiff  and  narrow  like  our  Fairfax  women  folks.  I  do 
not  know  why  she  is  going  to  visit  Blair  Stanley's 
mother,  instead  of  mine,  but,  anyway,  she  will  be  here 
to  attend  the  Fairfax  Tournament,  which  comes  off 
in  a  couple  of  days.  It's  the  biggest  event  we  have 
in  Fairfax,  and  poor  Arthur  Stanley  was  set  on  win 
ning  the  wreath  this  year.  How  he  practised  for  it! 
He  would  have  won  it  last  year  but  Blair  Stanley, 
who  is  older  and  much  heavier  than  he,  beat  him  out 
by  a  nasty  bit  of  interference.  Didn't  he,  Ralph?" 

Ralph  was  quick  to  say  he  thought  Blair  had  rid 
den  unfairly,  and  Bert  went  on  with  his  chatter  con 
cerning  his  stunning  aunt  from  Richmond,  and  the 
tournament  shortly  to  be  held. 

"I  will  be  surprised  if  Aunt  doesn't  go  wild  about 
you,  Miss  Esther!"  Bert  continued.  "She  loves  to 
have  pretty  girls  around  her,  and  any  girl  she  chaper- 
ones  is  made  a  belle  of  Richmond,  for  Aunt  Burton 
Randolph  surely  queens  it  in  Richmond  society. 


The  Queen  of  Love  and  Beauty  97 

We'll  have  her  call  and  have  you  and  your  mother 
go  with  her  to  the  tournament!" 

While  he  was  speaking,  the  young  Randolph  of  Fair 
fax  produced  a  handbill  printed  in  old  English  text, 
which  read: 


Olde  Cime  tournament 


Gallant  gavaliers  and  Squires  and  Knights 
of  J  airfax  County 

OM1  Bold  an  Olde  time  tournament 
m  Ye  J airfax  Grounds 
next  Saturday  Afternoon 


Jill  Riders  must  Be  in  mask 


€1K  Uictorious  Kn W  Sftall  €rown  fiis  Cadic  Tayrc 
as 

Queen  of  Eove  and  Beautie 


"But  poor  Arthur  Stanley  won't  be  here  to  ride 
this  year,"  added  the  good-natured  young  man,  when 
they  had  all  finished  reading  the  announcement. 

"The  idea  of  their  suspecting  he  killed  Doctor  Lee!" 
chimed  in  the  equally  generous-minded  Ralph  Hun 
ter.  "Why,  Arthur,  for  all  his  wild  ways,  had  the  best 
and  kindest  heart  in  the  world  and  he  loved  Doctor  Lee 


98  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

like  a  son,  even  if  they  did  have  some  jolly  old  rows 
about  the  way  Arthur  spent  money  like  water  and  got 
in  debt!" 

"But  why  did  Arthur  run  away?  None  of  us  be 
lieve  him  guilty,  and  we  may  have  our  faults  in  Fair 
fax,  but  we  are  all  kin  and  we  all  stand  together, 
when  outsiders  make  trouble,"  said  young  Randolph. 

"Shut  up,  you  big  silly!"  cried  the  other  impul 
sively.  "Can't  you  see  you  are  making  Miss  Esther 
cry?  Didn't  you  promise  me  we  wouldn't  say  any 
thing  about  Arthur's  troubles?  You  know  Miss  Es 
ther  liked  him  best  of  all  of  us." 

"Oh,  pray,  do  forgive  me,  Miss  Esther!"  cried  the 
contrite  young  Randolph.  "But  I  just  can't  keep  quiet 
about  Arthur.  Keeping  quiet  implies  that  we  believe 
those  awful  suspicions!" 

"I  thank  you  for  that,"  said  Esther  tremulously, 
"let  us  talk  about  him;  we  know  he  is  guilty  of  noth 
ing  except  being  a  reckless  boy,  with  no  father  and  no 
mother." 

Hagar  spoke  up  for  the  first  time:  "Yes,"  she  said 
huskily,  "he  had  no  mother!" 

"I'll  tell  you  something  about  Arthur,"  spoke  up 
Bert  Randolph.  "He  was  going  to  ride  in  the  tour 
nament  this  year  and  wrest  Blair's  laurels  as  the  best 
rider  in  Fairfax  from  him.  You  know  why?  Well, 
Arthur  was  determined  to  win  this  year — it  was  when 
Miss  Esther  was  at  Doctor  Lee's  he  told  me — he  was 
resolved  to  win,  so  he  could  crown  Miss  Esther  'Queen 
of  Love  and  Beauty.' ' 

"Well,  we'll  do  it  for  him!"  cried  young  Hunter. 
"All  the  girls  of  Fairfax  are  wild  for  the  honor.  But 


The  Queen  of  Love  and  Beauty  99 

we'll  win  it  for  Miss  Esther.  One  of  us  will  block 
Blair  Stanley  and  the  other  will  win  the  wreath." 

"Ho!"  chuckled  young  Randolph.  "Is  that  the  chiv 
alry  of  a  masked  Knight  in  the  Tournament  of  Fair 
fax?  That's  a  trick  like  Blair  Stanley  played.  I  am 
astonished  at  you,  Ralph!"  he  added,  with  mock  seri 
ousness. 

All  laughed,  relieved  of  the  tension  the  mention  of 
Arthur's  flight  under  its  terrible  suspicion  had  brought 
upon  the  little  group;  and  soon  after  the  young  men 
rode  away,  declaring  again  that  Esther  should  be 
crowned  at  their  hands,  and  the  socially  powerful  fe 
male  relative  from  Richmond  should  take  the  young 
mistress  of  Stanley  Hall  under  the  benefice  of  her  es 
teem  and  patronage. 

It  was  about  at  this  same  time,  on  this  same  after 
noon,  that  a  glum-faced  hunchback  organ  grinder  with 
a  monkey,  limped  to  the  doorway  of  Farmer  Smith. 
Poor  Quabba.  Well  could  he  realize  that  riches  seldom 
bring  happiness — especially  when  we  lose  them  almost 
as  quickly  as  they  have  been  gained. 

But  the  joy  and  glee  of  the  little  five-year-old 
daughter  of  the  Smiths  cheered  Quabba  from  his 
gloom. 

"Kids  are  always  glad  to  see  us,  anyway,  Clarence," 
he  said,  and  he  played  his  blithest  tunes,  and  Clarence 
was  prompted  to  his  best  comedy  bits  by  the  apprecia 
tion  of  the  small  but  select  audience. 

When  Arthur,  working  on  .the  Smith  farm  under 
the  name  of  John  Powell,  came  across  the  fields  at 
sunset  with  his  employer,  it  was  a  merry  group  they 
found  in  the  dooryard — Quabba  and  Clarence  being 


100  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

regaled  with  the  best  from  the  board,  as  all  wander 
ing  minstrels  should  be. 

"I'm  on  my  way  to  the  tournament  at  Fairfax," 
Quabba  explained.  "I've  never  been  there,  it's  out  of 
the  beaten  track  for  us  show  people.  For  that  very 
reason  it  should  be  a  good  place  to  pick  up  some  good 
money,"  and  Quabba  produced  a  small  hand-bill  that 
he  had  found  stuck  against  some  barn  hi  the  locality, 
for  the  village  merchants  of  Fairfax  thought  it  well  to 
advertise  the  tournament  to  the  farmers  for  miles 
around. 

The  Fairfax  Tournament.  Arthur  stirred  with  a 
sudden  resolve.  He  would  go !  An  air  of  mystery  had 
always  been  made  in  the  masking  of  the  riders.  He 
would  go  masked,  and  so  would  he  come  from  it.  He 
would  win  the  wreath  and  crown  Esther  "Queen  of 
Love  and  Beauty" !  It  was  a  wild  risk  to  take,  a  dar 
ing  thing  to  do;  but  he  longed  to  see  Esther  and  the 
love  of  romance  and  the  inclination  to  the  dramatic, 
were  the  heritage  of  his  gipsy  blood  that  overcame 
all  caution  and  discretion.  He  would  go !  Come  what 
might,  he  would  go !  His  heart  beat  like  a  drum  with 
the  wild  resolution.  Forcing  himself  to  speak  with  a 
calmness  he  was  far  from  feeling,  he  looked  up  and 
said: 

"If  I  can  be  spared  for  the  day,  and  if  you  will 
lend  me  Starlight,  Mr.  Smith,  and  if  you  will  make 
me  a  mask,  Mrs.  Smith,  and  lend  me  a  plume  for  my 
hat,  I'll  ride  and  show  these  Virginia  boys  how  we  do 
it  in — in  Kentucky!" 

For  it  was  as  a  young  Kentuckian  in  hard  luck, 


The  Queen  of  Love  and  Beauty          101 

Arthur  had  explained  his  plight  and  presence  in  that 
part  of  the  country. 

Both  the  farmer  and  his  wife  had  often  discussed 
the  stranger  who  had  come  to  their  door  in  the  guise 
of  a  tramp,  for  they  could  easily  see  by  his  ways  and 
manners  that  he  was  no  tramp.  They  judged  him  by 
his  countenance  and  gentle  courtesy,  and  whatever 
was  his  secret  they  felt  it  was  no  dishonorable  one. 
They  both  were  eager  now  to  accede  to  Arthur's  re 
quest. 

On  Starlight  then,  the  farmer's  blooded  saddle  horse, 
in  his  new  cheap  best  clothes,  and  with  his  black  silk 
mask  and  ostrich  plume  the  farmer's  wife  had  fur 
nished  from  her  Sunday  finery,  Arthur  rode  away  the 
following  day  with  the  best  wishes  of  the  farmer  and 
his  wife  and  his  little  girl,  "To  show,"  as  Farmer  Smith 
expressed  it,  "those  stuck-up  Fairfax  swells  a  taste  of 
old  Kentucky  quality,"  for  Farmer  Smith  was  of  Ken 
tucky  extraction,  too. 

Quabba  had  been  gone  since  the  evening  before, 
but  Arthur  overtook  him  near  Stanley  Hall.  They 
waved  at  each  other  as  Arthur  galloped  past,  and  then 
Arthur  reined  his  horse  in  a  little  copse  of  wood  near 
the  mansion.  Did  he  but  know  it,  it  was  the  spot 
where  he  had  been  born ! 

He  had  last  seen  Esther  at  Hagar's  camp,  but  he 
was  not  surprised  to  catch  the  nutter  of  her  dress  on 
the  balcony  that  overlooked  the  garden  at  the  side  of 
Stanley  Hall.  He  had  well  remembered  Hagar's  part 
ing  words  that  she  would  take  Esther  to  dwell  at 
Stanley  Hall  in  honor,  now  that  he  had  left  there  in 
disgrace ! 


102  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

Cautious  and  as  quiet  as  he  was  in  stealing  toward 
the  house,  the  keen  ears  of  Luke  Lovell,  who  was  at 
Stanley  Hall  that  day  with  messages  to  Hagar  from 
her  gipsy  folk,  heard  his  cautious  footfall,  and  from 
a  hiding  place  saw  Arthur  throw  a  hastily  scrawled 
note  tied  to  a  stone  on  to  the  balcony.  The  note 
begged  Esther  to  meet  him  at  the  old  stile  at  the  top 
of  the  hill,  back  of  Stanley  Hall.  A  tryst  she  hastened 
to  keep,  when  she  found  his  message. 

"You  must  not  do  this!"  Esther  said  excitedly, 
when  Arthur  explained  his  purpose.  But  he  only 
laughed,  and  paid  her  a  compliment  for  her  bright  eyes 
and  fair  cheeks,  set  off  all  the  better  for  her  agitation, 
and  the  beautiful  white  frock  that  she  had  donned 
for  the  tournament. 

"I  will  ride  wearing  your  favor,  Esther,  dear,"  said 
Arthur,  and  he  took  the  white  silken  sash  she  wore, 
and  kissed  her  and  rode  away,  placing  on  his  mask 
after  having  adjusted  the  silken  white  sash  as  a  scarf. 

At  Stanley  Hall,  Hagar  was  waiting  impatiently 
for  Esther,  the  carriage  horses  restless  at  the  portals 
of  the  mansion.  "Where  have  you  been?"  she  asked. 
"Gathering  flowers,  I  suppose?"  For  as  an  excuse  for 
her  absence,  Esther  had  hurriedly  grasped  a  handful 
of  roses.  Esther  did  not  answer,  and  Hagar  smiled, 
forgetting  her  anger  at  the  delay,  and  ordered  the 
driver  to  start. 

At  the  Fairfax  Fair  grounds  all  was  rush  and  excite 
ment.  The  gentry  were  driving  in  and  taking  their 
seats  in  the  gaily  decorated  grand  stand.  Already 
Blair  Stanley's  mother  with  her  guests,  Mrs.  Burton 
Randolph,  and  the  beautiful  Miss  Vivian  Marston,  to 


The  Queen  of  Love  and  Beauty          103 

whom  Blair  was  all  attention,  had  taken  their  seats 
and  were  smiling  and  nodding  to  friends  and  acquaint 
ances. 

Sheriff  Sam  Swain  was  there,  too,  and  in  his  heavy, 
lumbering  way,  was  teasing  a  hunchback  organ 
grinder,  who,  with  a  monkey,  had  been  the  subject  of 
much  amusement  on  the  tournament  grounds.  Sheriff 
Swain  was  jocularly  pretending  he  would  arrest  both 
the  musician  and  his  monkey,  and  he  was  shaking  the 
official  handcuffs  at  these  coin-gathering  entertainers. 

At  last  the  Master  of  Ceremonies  made  his  an 
nouncement.  The  masked  knights  were  to  tilt  in  a 
general  melee  with  bamboo  lances  at  a  small  wreath 
suspended  some  twelve  feet  from  the  ground.  Riding 
at  full  speed  toward  this  object,  the  knight  who  could 
bear  it  off  on  his  spear  point  would  be  adjudged  the 
victor  and  the  best  horseman  of  all  the  knights  of 
Fairfax.  The  winning  knight  would  crown  the  maid 
of  his  choice  as  "Queen  of  Love  and  Beauty,"  and  also, 
by  the  presentation  of  great  bouquets  ready  at  hand, 
the  Queen's  attendant  Ladies  of  Honor. 

The  bugles  sounded.  Sheriff  Swain,  as  Knight  Sene 
schal,  distributed  the  lances,  and  the  knights  lined  up 
far  down  the  track.  The  bugles  sounded  again.  Then, 
with  a  rush  and  a  roar,  on  they  came,  twenty  of  them 
abreast,  wearing  the  sashes  of  their  ladies,  masked  and 
plumed  and  all  intent  upon  bearing  off  the  guerdon. 

Blair  Stanley  on  a  bay  hunter,  wearing  the  crimson 
sash  favor  of  Vivian  Marston,  was  in  the  lead;  close 
behind  him  was  a  knight  on  a  black  horse  with  a 
white  star  on  its  forehead.  A  strange  horse  to  Fair 
fax,  where  every  horse  and  man  of  blood  is  known. 


104  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

What  horse  was  it  and  who  was  the  rider?  He  wore 
a  snow-white  scarf,  and  sat  his  horse  as  became  a 
Virginia  gentleman — or  perhaps  a  Kentuckian. 

Blair  in  the  lead,  swerved  to  block  the  on-coming 
knights  behind  him,  but  the  stranger  seemed  to  be 
prepared  for  the  ruse.  He  spurred  his  horse  around 
and  crossed  in  front  of  Blair.  The  shock  threw  the 
bay  hunter  over,  and  Blair  fell  headlong  to  the  ground 
whilst  the  strange  knight's  spear  point  lifted  the  wreath 
from  the  wire.  Blair,  as  he  fell,  caught  a  glimpse  of  the 
horseman  who  had  unseated  him,  and  knew  him  in 
stantly.  It  was  Arthur  Stanley! 

Hate  raged  in  the  heart  of  the  humiliated  Blair.  To 
be  unseated  in  the  presence  of  Vivian  Marston,  to 
whom  he  had  boasted  he  would  bear  off  the  wreath 
and  crown  her  as  Queen  of  Love  and  Beauty  on  her 
first  day  in  Fairfax ! 

He  limped  from  where  he  had  fallen  to  where 
Sheriff  Swain  stood  at  the  end  of  the  grand-stand, 
watching  the  surprising  end  of  the  contest. 

The  defeated  knights,  with  the  exception  of  the 
unhorsed  Blair,  ranged  their  horses  in  a  semi-circle 
and  held  their  lances  at  salute. 

Arthur,  still  masked  and  bearing  the  Queen's  crown 
and  the  bouquets,  approached  the  white-faced,  trem 
bling  Esther,  and  said,  in  a  feigned  voice:  "I  crown 
thee  Queen  of  Love  and  Beauty!"  Then  he  presented 
the  bouquets  of  the  Ladies  of  Honor  to  the  nearest 
women,  Vivian  Marston  and  Mrs.  Burton  Randolph. 

At  the  far  end  of  the  grand-stand,  the  raging  Blair, 
standing  by  the  sheriff,  pointed  to  the  victor  and  said: 


The  Queen  of  Love  and  Beauty         105 

"That  is  Arthur  Stanley,  the  murderer  of  Doctor  Lee! 
Go  and  get  him!" 

Hardly  knowing  what  he  was  doing,  and  angry  at 
the  jesting  sheriff,  and  for  the  sake  of  the  gallant- 
looking  victor,  an  idea  to  discomfit  that  official  and 
the  unhorsed  informer,  seized  Quabba.  With  a  deft 
clutch  of  his  quick  fingers,  he  clasped  the  open  end 
of  one  of  the  handcuffs,  which  the  sheriff  was  still  car 
rying,  to  the  wrist  of  Blair.  The  other  end  of  the 
handcuff  was  around  the  sheriff's  wrist,  and  that  eager 
official  and  the  informer  were  soon  wildly  pulling  in 
opposite  directions.  Leaving  his  organ,  and  carrying 
the  frightened  monkey  in  his  arms,  the  nimble  hunch 
back  ran  through  the  grand-stand  and  whispered  a 
warning  to  Arthur. 

At  this  very  moment,  obedient  to  a  significant  look 
from  Blaic's  mother,  Mrs.  Randolph  and  Vivian  Mars- 
ton  had  pointedly  thrown  down  the  bouquets  and 
had  turned  their  backs  on  Esther — the  newly  crowned 
Queen  of  Love  and  Beauty. 

At  this  open  and  direct  humiliation  of  the  daughter 
of  Hagar,  the  whole  assembly  grew  still  as  death,  and 
the  hoarse  accents  of  the  handcuffed  sheriff  could  be 
heard  shouting:  "Stop  that  man!  He  is  Arthur  Stan 
ley,  wanted  for  murder!" 

A  loud  roar  burst  from  the  excited  throng.  Men 
sprang  to  their  feet  and  women  screamed.  Arthur,  at 
the  cry  from  Esther  to  save  himself,  ran  down  the 
aisle,  and,  clearing  the  rail  at  a  bound,  vaulted  on  his 
horse,  snatching  the  reins  from  a  negro  lad  who  was 
holding  it.  At  the  brusque  commands  of  the  sheriff, 


106  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

however,  the  masked  knights  closed  in  on  Arthur  and, 
hemming  him  in,  forced  him  and  his  horse,  struggling 
and  fighting  for  life  and  liberty,  toward  the  grand 
stand. 


CHAPTER  VII 
THE  FOX  AND  THE  PIG 

Y  •  ^iHE  knights  of  the  tournament,  now  frenzied 
with  excitement,  pressed  on  Arthur,  effectu- 

M  ally  barring  his  way  to  the  gate.  These  hot 
headed  young  Virginians  had  been  the  friends, 
comrades  and  admirers  of  Arthur  from  boyhood,  but 
the  death  of  the  greatly  esteemed  Doctor  Lee  and 
Arthur's  flight  had  filled  them  with  bitter  resentment 
against  their  former  companion. 

The  struggle  of  the  young  horsemen  seeking  to  stay 
and  capture  the  now  betrayed  and  unmasked  Arthur, 
took  place  directly  in  front  of  the  grand  stand.  ThQ 
excited  crowd  watched  the  titan  struggle  of  the  cen 
taurs  in  tense  silence,  but  still  above  the  sounds  of 
struggle  rose  the  hoarse  voice  of  the  sheriff  as  he  strug 
gled  excitedly  to  loosen  himself  from  the  handcuffs, 
with  which  the  tricky  Quabba  had  fastened  him  to 
Blair.  On  his  part,  Blair  held  back  as  though  the 
steel  manacle  on  his  wrist  was  a  prophetic  stigma. 

The  bold  eyes  of  Vivian  Marston  were  directed  in 
frank  admiration  toward  the  superb  feats  of  horseman 
ship  and  the  display  of  herculean  effort  with  which 
Arthur  Stanley  fought  off  the  encircling  cavaliers. 

Fascinated  also,  as  they  watched  the  struggle  below 
them,  Esther  and  Hagar  had  forgotten  the  sting  of 
the  humiliation  to  which  they  had  been  subjected. 

107 


108  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

Then  suddenly  a  wild  cry  rose  from  the  crowded 
stand ;  and  men,  women  and  children  stood  up  excitedly 
and  shrieked  as  Arthur  suddenly  wheeled  his  horse 
and  spurred  it  to  the  far  end  of  the  grand-stand  and 
up  the  lower  stairs  and  right  in  among  the  spectators. 
When  his  steed  reached  the  centre  aisle,  the  crowd  in 
panic  breaking  the  seats  and  benches  as  they  gave 
way  before  horse  and  rider,  Arthur  turned  the  gal 
lant  Starlight  up  this  central  passage,  and  waved  to 
Esther  and  Hagar  as  he  thundered  by.  Then  breast 
ing  his  horse  at  the  back  rail,  he  plunged  with  Star 
light  down  from  the  back  of  the  stand  to  the  ground 
some  fifteen  feet  below.  Never  had  such  a  wild  feat 
of  horsemanship  been  beheld  in  Fairfax,  home  of 
wild  riders. 

As  with  one  accord,  the  panic  passed  and  a  tumult 
of  curiosity  succeeded.  Men  and  women  who  had 
shrunk  in  alarm  from  the  hoofs  reverberating  through 
the  wooden  ways  of  the  grand-stand,  now  rushed  up 
the  aisles  and  over  the  benches,  and  in  wonderment 
beheld  steed  and  rider,  the  dizzy  leap  made  in  safety, 
disappearing  in  the  distance. 

Among  those  who  had  rushed  up  the  aisle  were 
Mrs.  Lamar  Stanley's  party  and  Hagar  and  Esther. 
As  the  gallant  horse  and  rider  disappeared  in  a  cloud 
of  dust  down  the  road,  Vivian  Marston  turned,  and, 
with  heaving  breast  and  flashing  eyes,  openly  voiced 
her  admiration:  "There  is  a  man,"  she  cried,  "who 
is  worth  a  woman's  while ! " 

Esther  shrank  back  at  these  words,  for  it  seemed 
to  her  she  felt  a  chill  at  her  heart  and,  from  that  mo- 


The  Fox  and  the  Pig  109 

merit,  she  realized  that  this  woman  had  crossed  her 
path  in  life  and  Arthur's. 

The  mounted  knights  charged  through  the  gateway 
in  pursuit;  the  sheriff,  tossing  the  key  of  the  hand 
cuffs  to  Blair,  had  gained  his  horse  and  had  followed 
after  the  pursuers.  Shielding  and  hiding  the  dangling 
handcuff  upon  his  wrist  as  best  he  could,  for  in  his 
nervousness  he  could  not  open  the  lock,  Blair  cursed 
the  grinning  hunchback  organ  grinder,  and  re 
joined  his  mother  and  her  friends.  He  loosened  the 
handcuff  at  last,  but  the  mocking  Vivian  had  insisted 
it  be  retained  as  a  souvenir  of  what  she  termed,  "The 
Leap  of  the  White  Knight." 

So  ended  the  last  Masked  Tournament  of  the 
Knights  of  Fairfax,  and  the  excited  dowagers  and 
maidens  were  driven  to  their  homes,  recounting  the 
exciting  events  of  the  day,  while  their  husbands, 
brothers  and  fathers,  who  had  come  on  horseback, 
were  far  on  their  way  in  pursuit  of  the  fugitive. 

The  day  had  been  too  much  for  Mrs.  Burton  Ran 
dolph's  "poor  nerves,"  as  she  expressed  it.  She  re 
garded  her  Fairfax  relatives  with  smouldering  ani 
mosity.  What  had  the  reckless  scions  of  the  Fairfax 
Stanleys  done  but  break  up  her  ball  in  Richmond  with 
shameful  notoriety?  And  now,  when  she  had  come  to 
Fairfax  to  forget,  another  horrid  contretemps  had  oc 
curred  to  rack  further  her  already  shattered  nervous 
system.  She  resolved  to  return  to  Richmond  and 
seek  seclusion  and,  if  possible,  forgetfulness  there. 

Some  twenty  miles  away,  the  Monticello  Hunt  was 
riding  to  hounds.  The  Monticello  Hunt,  a  rival  social 
organization  of  the  next  county,  made  it  a  point  to 


110  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

hold  a  fox  hunt  always  upon  the  day  that  the  elite  of 
Fairfax  held  their  masked  old-time  tournament.  If 
you  were  socially  prominent  in  Monticello  you  must 
consider  that  no  such  thing  as  the  Fairfax  Tourna 
ment  ever  took  place.  In  turn,  the  old  families  of 
Fairfax  likewise  ignored  the  Monticello  Hunt. 

Arthur's  daring  and  dramatic  escape  had  given  him 
a  long  lead  over  his  pursuers.  This  lead  he  in 
creased  considerably,  and  he  had  quieted  Starlight  to  a 
less  strenuous  pace  on  an  unfrequented  road,  some  fif 
teen  miles  from  Fairfax,  when  he  beheld  the  Monticello 
Hunt,  in  full  cry  after  a  wary  old  dog  fox,  crossing  the 
fields  some  several  hundred  yards  ahead.  Starlight  was 
an  old  fox  hunter.  Roused  to  renewed  life  and  his 
fatigue  passing  from  him  at  the  baying  of  the  hounds 
and  the  cries  of  the  huntsmen,  the  no  longer 
jaded  horse  turned  briskly  from  the  road  and  made 
after  the  chase.  Arthur  let  his  horse  follow  his  bent, 
noting  that  the  way  he  was  taking  across  the  fields, 
was  a  shorter  route  to  the  safety  and  shelter  of  the 
Smith  farm. 

A  small  colored  boy  driving  a  fractious  pig  beheld, 
with  much  interest  and  some  alarm,  the  travel-stained 
man  and  horse  join  in  the  fox  chase.  The  colored  lad 
had  been  nearly  bowled  over  by  the  hunt-stirred  Star 
light,  when  that  eager  animal's  legs  had  encountered 
the  rope  which  was  attached  to  the  hind  hock  of  the 
fractious  pig. 

Just  ahead  of  him  now,  in  a  hollow,  at  the  bottom 
of  the  field  by  a  sunken  fence,  Arthur  saw  the  last 
of  the  huntsmen  taking  this  fence  come  a  nasty  crop 
per.  He  fell  in  a  huddled  heap,  and  was  strangely 


The  Fox  and  the  Pig  111 

still  against  a  storm-felled  tree;  the  hunter's  horse 
stopped  with  an  abrupt  jerk,  as  the  fallen  reins  caught 
and  held  him  tightly  by  one  of  the  gnarled  branches. 
Arthur  rode  over  and  dismounted.  The  hunter  was 
dead,  his  face  bruised  and  disfigured  with  blood.  He 
had  struck  the  fallen  tree  head  first,  breaking  his  neck. 

Then  Arthur  thought  of  the  colored  boy  with  the 
pig  and  the  pursuit  that  he  had  outdistanced.  The 
colored  boy  would  tell  which  way  he  had  gone.  He 
had  been  a  fool  to  leave  the  highway. 

Then  an  idea  occurred  to  Arthur.  This  man  was 
dead  and  beyond  all  aid.  He  hurriedly  changed  his 
coat,  with  its  white  scarf,  and  his  plumed  hat,  for  the 
red  hunting  jacket  and  velvet  cap  of  the  dead  fox 
hunter. 

Then  engaging  the  bridle  of  Starlight  to  the  branch 
of  the  fallen  tree  from  which  he  had  released  the  dead 
hunter's  horse,  he  changed  mounts  and  cantered  away. 

When  Sheriff  Swain  and  his  posse  of  tournament 
riders  reached  the  scene,  directed  by  the  colored  boy 
with  the  fractious  pig,  they  saw  a  fox  hunter  in  his 
red  coat  riding  away,  far  off,  but  on  the  ground  be 
fore  them  lay,  to  all  appearances,  the  body  of  Arthur 
Stanley,  killed  by  a  fall  from  the  horse  he  had  ridden 
so  gallantly  at  the  tournament. 

That  night,  while  Arthur,  who  told  all  his  story 
to  Farmer  Smith,  is  being  sent  upon  his  way  with 
hearty  yet  sad  farewells  and  expressions  of  God  speed 
by  the  farmer  and  his  family,  the  body  of  the  dead 
huntsman  with  the  bruised  face,  is  borne  into  Stanley 
Hall. 

With  a  startled  cry,  Esther  recognizes  it  is  not  Ar- 


112  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

thur,  but  the  silencing  hand  of  Hagar  falls  upon  her 
lips. 

"A  gipsy  trick!"  murmurs  Hagar. 

She  yearns  for  the  son  whom  she  has  disowned, 
but  all  of  whose  secrets  she  will  hold. 

"Let  them  find  out  his  ruse  in  all  good  time,"  Hagar 
mutters  to  herself.  "It  will  give  him  the  better  chance 
to  be  far  and  safely  on  his  way!" 

And  Mrs.  Burton  Randolph  returns  to  Richmond. 
Vivian  and  Blair  have  quarreled.  Vivian  realizes  Fair 
fax  will  be  dull  while  it  feasts  upon  gossip  that  will  not 
interest  her.  She  decides  to  return  to  Richmond  with 
her  friend.  With  a  woman's  prescience  she  realizes 
that  Blair's  mother  intuitively  suspects  her.  So  Vivian 
Marston  thinks  it  best  to  return  to  Richmond,  too. 

That  night  the  Monticello  Hunt  is  minus  a  mem 
ber.  Inquiry  and  investigation  bring  some  of  the 
huntsmen  to  Stanley  Hall.  The  dead  man  is  identi 
fied  for  who  he  really  is,  and  is  borne  away.  And  the 
breach  is  wider  yet  between  Fairfax  and  Monticello 
in  consequence. 

The  next  day  Hagar  has  a  visitor  at  Stanley  Hall. 
It  is  Detective  Tom  Blake,  of  Richmond,  and  he  bears 
with  him  a  flat  portfolio  of  curious  photographs.  He 
and  Hagar  examine  these  curious  photographs  in  the 
library  at  Stanley  Hall,  and  Esther,  outside  upon  the 
broad  piazza,,  is  not  aware  of  what  passes  between  the 
gipsy  woman  and  the  astute  private  detective  whom 
Hagar  employs. 

But  the  photographs  are  vital  things,  vital  espe 
cially  to  Blair  Stanley,  raging  sulfenly  at  his  mother 
because  of  her  avowed  hostility  to  the  departed  Vivian, 


The  Fox  and  the  Pig  113 

and  all  unconscious  of  the  evidence  that  the  photo 
graphs,  now  being  examined  at  Stanley  Hall,  hold 
against  him.  It  is  evidence  which  proves  him  guilty 
of  the  murder  of  Doctor  Lee,  for  the  photographs  are 
the  tell-tale  reproductions  of  Blair  Stanley's  finger 
prints.  Some  were  made  by  Blake  from  impressions  he 
found  on  the  rifled  cashbox  and  the  dead  doctor's 
throat,  and  one  other  is  the  reproduction  of  the  plain 
mark  which  his  ink-stained  thumb,  stained  by  a  leaky 
fountain-pen,  made  on  the  bad  check  he  passed  on  Abe 
Bloom,  gambling-den  keeper  of  Richmond! 

The  check  has  come  back  to  the  vindictive,  angry 
gambler,  marked  "No  Funds!"  and  when  Abe  Bloom 
called  upon  the  Blake  Detective  Agency  to  aid  him 
recover  the  amount  of  the  check,  the  wily  Tom 
Blake  had  in  his  possession  the  convincing  identifica 
tion  he  has  been  seeking — the  duplicate  thumb  print 
of  the  murderer  of  Doctor  Lee,  the  thumb  print  of 
Blair  Stanley,  with  his  signature  beside  it  to  attest! 

The  astute  detective  is  working  now  only  for  his 
client  and  old  acquaintance  Hagar  Harding,  who  pays 
him  well.  There  is  no  reward  offered  for  the  appre 
hension  of  Blair  Stanley  or  any  other  man  save  the 
innocent  Arthur  Stanley.  Detective  Blake  knows  that 
Hagar  will  use  the  evidence  he  brings  her,  in  her  own 
time  and  in  her  own  way.  It  concerns  him  no  further, 
for  the  present  at  least;  and  he  returns  to  Richmond, 
strangely  enough  on  the  same  train  that  bears  Mrs. 
Burton  Randolph  "in  a  state  of  nervous  depression" 
and  the  ever  vivacious  Vivian  Marston.  He  sits  be 
hind  them  and  smiles  grimly  as  he  hears  them  utter 
the  name  of  Blair  Stanley,  "such  a  dear  boy!" 


114  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

Blair  and  his  mother  have  returned  home  from  the 
little  station  at  Fairfax,  after  seeing  their  late  guests 
to  the  train.  Blair  and  his  mother  are  now  at  dag 
gers  drawn.  He  asks  that  she  give  him  money  and 
let  him  go  upon  his  way  in  the  world,  as  he  wishes 
to  leave  Fairfax  and  never  return. 

"You  have  been  under  enough  evil  influences  in  fol 
lowing  the  promptings  of  your  own  reckless  ways," 
says  his  mother  coldly.  "This  Vivian  Marston  cannot 
deceive  me  for  a  moment,  as  she  seems  to  have  com 
pletely  deceived  our  society-leader  relative  of  Rich 
mond,  and,"  she  added  bitterly,  "as  she  seems  to  have 
also  completely  deceived  and  infatuated  you!  You 
shall  have  no  money  of  my  saving  to  waste  upon  an 
adventuress,  such  as  I  feel  sure  this  woman  is.  Stay 
here  with  me  and  turn  your  hand  to  more  useful  work 
than  wasting  the  little  money  I  yet  possess!" 

Blair  made  no  reply,  though  inwardly  he  felt  wild 
curses  mounting  to  his  lips,  but  he  flung  himself  in 
the  house  leaving  his  mother  alone  on  the  porch  ere 
he  might  utter  them.  He  was  resolved  to  leave 
Fairfax,  and  he  was  resolved  to  see  and  regain  the 
favor  of  Vivian  Marston  who  had  woven  her  spells 
around  him. 

There  was  no  time  like  the  present,  was  his  thought. 
He  went  rapidly  up  the  steps  and  into  the  living  room 
on  the  second  floor,  while  his  mother  remained  in 
bitter  contemplation  on  the  piazza.  Nerved  to  a  des 
perate  undertaking,  Blair  closed  the  door  of  the  living 
room  behind  him.  He  pressed  the  spring,  and  the 
Tory  hiding  place  behind  the  chimney  opened. 

Taking  the  heavy  poker  from  the  fire  place  that  now 


The  Fox  and  the  Pig  115 

was  swung  outward  into  the  room,  Blair  stepped  into 
the  recess  and  closed  the  hiding  place  after  him. 
Here  he  lit  a  candle  and  furiously  pried  at  the  old 
iron-bound  chest  where,  with  his  father's  papers,  his 
mother  kept  the  ready  money  which  she,  like  her  hus 
band  had  before  her,  lent  out  at  heavy  interest  to  such 
unfortunates  as  fell  into  her  meshes — when  their  se 
curities  were  good. 

At  Stanley  Hall,  after  the  departure  of  Detective 
Blake,  Hagar  ordered  her  carriage.  "I  am  going  to 
pay  a  call,  I  will  not  be  long,"  was  all  the  information 
she  vouchsafed  to  Esther.  But  Esther  knew  that 
whatever  was  the  errand  that  called  Hagar  away,  al 
though  a  secret,  it  was  one  that  was  for  her  good,  for 
there  was  a  firm  yet  loving  smile  upon  the  lips  of 
Hagar  when  she  spoke. 

Luke  Lovell,  who  spent  his  tune  at  Stanley  Hall 
partly,  and  partly,  as  headman  under  Hagar,  at  the 
gipsy  rendezvous  some  dozen  miles  away  in  the  hidden 
fastness  of  the  Blue  Ridge,  brought  around  the  horse 
and  buggy  to  the  front  of  Stanley  Hall.  At  this  in 
stant  a  diversion  was  caused  by  the  appearance  of  a 
hunchback  organ  grinder,  hurrying  up  the  driveway. 
It  was  Quabba,  his  monkey,  shrieking  with  fright, 
clinging  closely  to  his  master.  Behind  them  came 
Sheriff  Sam  Swain  on  horseback,  lashing  the  unfortu 
nate  Quabba  with  his  riding  whip. 

Hagar  and  Esther  both  rushed  to  the  rescue  of  the 
poor  hunchback.  "He's  lucky  I  am  only  chasing  him 
out  of  the  county!"  explained  the  irate  sheriff.  "But 
for  the  trick  he  played  upon  me  the  other  day,  I 
would  have  caught  Arthur  Stanley!  Do  you  know 


116  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

what  this  organ-grinding,  monkey-toting,  imp  of  Satan 
did?  Why,  he  handcuffed  me  to  Blair  Stanley,  whilst 
Arthur  Stanley,  the  murderer,  who  had  the  nerve  to 
come  riding  at  the  masked  tournament,  got  away! 
I  could  have  this  organ-grinding  scoundrel  sent  up  for 
a  year  for  interfering  with  an  officer  in  discharge  of 
his  duty!" 

"Me  no  mean  any  harm,"  whined  Quabba.  "You 
made  da  joke  with  me.  You  try  put  da  handcuffs  on 
me;  I  only  do  da  joke  with  you  and  da  other  gentle 
man  in  putting  da  handcuffs  on  you  and  him." 

"Young  feller!"  said  the  sheriff  impressively,  "never 
joke  with  an  officer  of  the  law.  It  is  against  the  peace 
and  dignity  of  the  Commonwealth  of  Virginia  and  the 
law  and  statutes  that  therein  apply!"  And  having 
delivered  himself  of  this  pseudo-legal  dictum,  the  sher 
iff  touched  his  hat  to  Hagar  and  Esther,  and  cant 
ered  off. 

Quabba,  it  has  been  said,  was  a  gipsy  of  Italian 
stock.  A  word  in  Romany  fell  on  his  astonished  ear 
from  the  lips  of  the  grande  dame  at  the  portals  of 
this  grand  house,  as  Hagar  gave  orders  to  Luke  that 
the  wandering  musician  be  cared  for  at  the  kitchen  of 
Stanley  Hall.  "They  were  gipsies,  too,  these  great 
people!"  thought  Quabba,  but  he  held  his  tongue,  nor 
seemed  to  mark  it. 

Hagar  again  prepared  to  go  upon  her  mysterious  er 
rand  with,  as  Esther  noticed,  the  black  flat  portfolio, 
which  the  strange  man  from  Richmond  had  brought 
that  day.  The  carriage  was  waiting,  but  Hagar's  keen 
eye  now  noted  the  horse  was  slightly  lame.  Half 
angrily,  she  ordered  Lovell  to  take  it  back  to  the 


The  Fox  and  the  Pig  117 

stable,  and  after  Lovell  with  the  horse  and  buggy,  to 
gether  with  Quabba,  the  latter  uttering  expressions  of 
his  gratitude,  had  turned  the  corner  of  the  great  house, 
she  kissed  Esther  fondly  and  said:  "I  am  not  going 
very  far,  dear,  so  it  doesn't  matter  if  I  walk."  Then 
she  kissed  Esther  again  and  went  upon  her  way. 

Little  did  Esther  dream  of  the  strange  return  this 
secretive  yet  loving  woman,  whom  she  deemed  her 
mother,  was  to  make  to  Stanley  Hall! 

At  Mrs.  Lamar  Stanley's,  that  austere  lady  sat  upon 
her  piazza  waiting  for  Blair  to  return  from  inside  the 
house.  She  had  more  to  say  to  her  son  and  as  she  re 
flected  upon  the  bitter  phrasing  of  the  words  she 
would  speak,  her  heart  ached  dully. 

What  was  the  use?  she  kept  saying  to  herself,  what 
was  the  use?  What  use  the  ambition,  the  cold,  calcu-' 
lating  ambition  that  had  darkened  her  life,  and  had 
caused  the  tragic  death  of  her  husband  eighteen  long 
years  ago?  What  was  the  use  to  scheme  and  plot  and 
hope  and  hate  for  a  bauble  that  had  disappeared,  and 
an  Earldom  farther  away  than  even  distant  Warwick 
shire? 

"The  Diamond  from  the  Sky"  and  the  Stanley  Earl 
dom  were  not  for  her.  They  were  never  to  be  the  pos 
sessions  of  the  son  of  her  body,  either,  it  would  seem. 
Dead  men  lay  between,  and  a  living  man — a  wanderer 
and  a  fugitive — and  the  Earl,  old  and  feeble,  a  helpless 
invalid  for  years,  still  lingered  on. 

And  just  then  the  Judge's  widow  saw  Hagar  Hard 
ing,  the  present  mistress  of  Stanley  Hall,  coming  to 
ward  her! 

At  the  sight  of  Hagar,  Mrs.  Stanley  stiffened,  and 


118  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

instinctively  all  the  old  hopes  and  all  the  old  hatreds 
leaped  again  within  her  withered  breast.  She  rose  as 
if  to  enter  her  house  and  ignore  her  caller,  but  Hagar 
called  to  her  and  said:  "Do  not  go,  Mrs.  Stanley," 
as  she  came  up  the  piazza,  steps.  "I  have  with  me  the 
proofs  that  your  son  and  not  Arthur  Stanley  is  guilty 
of  the  murder  of  Doctor  Henry  Lee,"  and  she  indicated 
with  a  meaning  gesture  the  flat,  black  portfolio  she 
carried,  the  same  portfolio  Detective  Blake  had 
brought  from  Richmond. 

"Hush!"  whispered  the  Judge's  widow,  tensely. 
"Come  inside!"  And  she  led  her  strange  guest  into 
the  house  and  up  to  the  living  room.  Here,  Hagar 
without  a  further  word,  showed  her  the  photographs  of 
the  thumb  prints  left  by  the  murderer  in  Doctor  Lee's 
study,  and  the  photograph  of  the  returned,  dishonored 
check,  with  the  fatal  inky  thumb  print  of  Blair  Stan 
ley  by  the  side  of  his  signature. 

"I  will  get  my  son,  he  is  somewhere  about  the 
house,"  said  Mrs.  Lamar  Stanley,  with  forced  calmness. 
"What  is  the  price  you  ask  for  your  silence?  I  can 
not  think  you  would  come  here  except  to  bargain." 

"My  price  is  an  easy  one,"  replied  Hagar.  "I  ask 
that  you  and  all  your  friends  receive  my  daughter, 
Esther,  and  myself  in  Fairfax.  I  have  only  this  to 
add:  Deem  me  whom  you  may,  my  daughter,  Esther, 
is  of  as  high  birth  and  blood  as  the  proudest  families  of 
Fairfax!" 

"What  you  ask  can  be  arranged,  I  feel  sure,"  said 
the  Judge's  widow,  still  retaining  her  cold  composure. 
"Wait  here  till  I  find  my  son!"  And  Mrs.  Stanley 
bowed  and  hurried  down  to  the  porch  where  she  called 


The  Fox  and  the  Pig  119 

loudly  for  Blair,  thinking  perhaps  he  was  in  the  gar 
den  or  at  the  stables. 

Meanwhile,  Blair  in  the  Tory  hiding  place  behind 
the  chimney,  had  heard  every  word  that  had  been  ut 
tered  in  the  room.  In  his  hands,  he  clutched  a  mass 
of  banknotes.  Thrusting  them  into  his  pocket,  he 
touched  the  spring  and  pushed  aside  the  swinging  fire 
place  noiselessly. 

Hagar  stood  by  the  table,  her  back  to  the  fire  place, 
watching  the  door.  In  her  hands  were  the  incriminat 
ing  photographs.  As  she  turned  at  the  sound  of 
Blair's  advance,  he  struck  her  down  with  the  heavy 
iron  poker,  and  she  fell  to  the  floor  as  though  lifeless, 
in  a  crumpled  heap. 

Blair  stooped  to  seize  the  photographs  of  his  guilty 
thumb  prints  that  had  fallen  to  the  floor,  and  as  he  did 
so  a  gleam  of  steel  on  the  table  caught  his  eye.  It  was 
the  sheriff's  handcuffs  that  Vivian  Marston  had 
brought  to  the  house  with  her  and  left  for  Blair,  as  she 
mockingly  said,  "as  a  souvenir  of  the  White  Knight's 
leap!" 

Hagar  moaned  and  stirred.  Blair  could  hear  his 
mother  calling  him  in  the  hallway  now.  He  seized  the 
handcuffs  and  clasped  them  on  the  unresisting  wrists 
of  Hagar.  Picking  her  up,  he  thrust  her  in  the  Tory's 
hiding  place  and  hastily  swung  the  wall  back  into 
position,  leaving  the  unconscious  and  manacled  Hagar 
imprisoned  near  the  broken  open  chest  in  the  darkened 
niche. 

Then  hearing  his  mother  on  the  threshold,  he  turned 
and  fled  with  the  photographs  and  the  stolen  money 
by  the  door  that  led  to  the  inner  rooms,  and  was  gone! 


120  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

Far  away,  a  colored  boy,  who  had  been  driving  a  pig 
the  day  the  gentle  folks  of  Fairfax  held  their  tourna 
ment,  is  playing  he  is  a  hunter  after  eagles. 

He  has  a  wooden  gun,  this  colored  boy  who  herds 
pigs  while  gentle  white  folks  ride  to  tournament  and 
to  chase  the  fox;  and  with  his  wooden  gun  he  plays  a 
part  in  the  destinies  of  those  concerned  in  this  strange 
story. 

For  beneath  a  wayside  tree  he  finds  a  handful  of 
feathers.  "Owls  up  dar!"  cries  the  mimic  hunter,  and 
he  drops  his  wooden  gun  and  climbs  the  tree.  An  owl 
flies  from  its  nest,  with  a  querulous  screech. 

That  evening,  an  obscure  negro  urchin,  whose  lot  it 
is  that  he  must  attend  to  swine,  leans  over  a  noi 
some  pen  and  dangles  before  an  unappreciative  pig, 
gorging  at  his  swill,  not  a  pearl,  but  a  diamond,  a  dia 
mond  of  price  that  fell  in  a  meteor  when  this  land  was 
young! 


CHAPTER  VIII 
A   MIND   IN   THE    PAST 

AGAIN  the  dull,  aching  resentment  burned  in 
the  bosom  of  Blair's  mother,  as  with  a  voice 
strange  to  her  own  ears  she  called  to  summon 
her  son  to  make  his  part  of  the  bargain  with 
the  implacable  visitor  who  waited  for  them  in  the 
sombre  living  room  upstairs  with  the  photographs  of 
his  guilt. 

No  answer  was  returned  to  her  call,  and  Mrs.  Stan 
ley  remembered  again  the  bitter  quarrel  she  had  had 
with  Blair  over  Vivian  Marston. 

Then  it  was  with  a  fierce  resolve,  in  a  sudden  re 
vulsion  of  desperation  and  despair,  that  Mrs.  Stanley 
returned  to  the  living  room  to  tell  her  strange  visitor 
to  do  her  worst,  let  the  consequences  be  what  they 
might.  For  herself,  the  austere  Mrs.  Stanley  resolved 
to  strive  no  more  for  the  sake  of  her  dissolute  and  des 
perate  son. 

"I  will  make  no  bargain  with  this  woman,  even  to 
save  Blair  from  the  gallows,"  was  her  grim  thought. 
"Neither  she  nor  the  strange  girl  who  was  Doctor  Lee's 
ward,  whom  she  now  mothers  at  Stanley  Hall,  shall 
have  social  countenance  from  me!" 

But  as  she  ascended  the  stairs  to  make  known  her 
resolve,  she  heard  the  slam  of  a  door  and  the  sound 

121 


122  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

of  hurrying  feet  from  the  living  room  to  the  chambers 
at  the  back  of  the  house.  She  opened  the  door  from 
the  stair-landing  to  the  living  room.  The  centre  table 
was  overturned,  and  there  were  other  signs  of  a  strug 
gle,  but  the  room  was  empty. 

Then  a  low  moan  of  pain  fell  upon  the  ears  of 
Blair's  mother.  The  sound  came  from  near  the  floor 
behind  the  fire  place.  Mrs.  Stanley  listened  intently, 
then  pressing  the  spring,  the  wall  with  the  fire  place 
turned  out,  and  there  in  the  semi-darkness  lay  the 
unconscious  figure  of  Hagar,  her  wrists  manacled  with 
the  sheriff's  handcuffs.  Hagar  lay  half  reclining  against 
the  rifled  family  strongbox.  Mrs.  Stanley  found  the 
key  of  the  handcuffs,  which  was  on  the  table  in  the 
room,  and  unfastened  the  manacles  on  the  wrists  of 
the  dazed  and  moaning  woman. 

Then  she  raised  her  and  dragged  her  out  into  the 
room  and  closed  the  hiding  place.  She  was  not  sur 
prised  that  the  photographs  of  the  thumb  prints  were 
gone.  She  revived  Hagar  and  regarded  the  stricken 
woman,  prepared  for  harsh  defiance,  yet  Mrs.  Stanley 
had  no  thought  of  compromise. 

But  the  whole  expression  of  Hagar  had  softened  to  a 
pathetic,  cowed  wistfulness.  Her  face  seemed  younger, 
her  eyes  moist  and  pleading.  She  turned  to  Mrs.  Stan 
ley  with  outstretched  arms  and  murmured :  "Give  me 
my  child!"  And  then  Blair's  mother  knew  that  the 
blow  her  son  had  dealt  the  strange  visitor  had  de 
prived  her  of  her  reason,  for  the  time  being  at  least. 

Mrs.  Stanley  had  no  suspicion  of  the  import  of 
Hagar's  words,  but  she  realized  the  crazed  woman  was 
at  this  time  no  menace  either  to  herself  or  her  son, 


A  Mind  in  the  Past  123 

and  wishing  to  be  rid  of  her  at  any  cost,  she  led  her 
downstairs  and  to  the  door  and  set  her  on  her  way  to 
Stanley  Hall. 

In  the  gathering  twilight,  Esther  was  waiting  for 
Hagar.  It  was  a  sad  home  coming.  The  dull  eyes  of 
Hagar  gleamed  with  recognition  of  the  portals  of  Stan 
ley  Hall.  The  face  of  Esther,  the  gentle,  loving  Esther, 
was  the  face  of  a  stranger  to  her.  Alarmed  and  weep 
ing,  Esther  led  the  moaning  woman  up  the  broad  steps 
and  into  the  wide  hallway. 

Here  a  fierce,  wild  change  came  over  Hagar.  She 
sprang  to  the  door  of  the  library  and  threw  it  open. 
"See,  he  is  in  there!"  she  cried.  "They  have  him  in 
there.  The  child  they  stole  and  sold  from  me.  See, 
the  diamond  that  blazes  on  his  little  breast!  Take  it 
off!  There  is  a  curse  on  it  for  all  our  race!  Take  off 
the  fine  clothes,  give  him  back  his  rags!  He  is  my 
son!" 

As  it  had  been  with  Blair  Stanley's  austere  mother, 
the  wistful  Esther  sensed  no  importance  in  the  plead 
ings  of  Hagar.  Now,  too,  even  the  crazed  mind  of 
Hagar  seemed  to  realize  the  library  was  empty  and 
unoccupied,  for  she  gave  a  wild  cry  and  fell  sobbing 
on  Esther's  breast. 

Summoning  the  servants,  Esther  had  Hagar  carried 
to  her  chamber.  Owing  perhaps  to  the  heavy  coiffure 
of  the  gipsy  woman,  the  blow  Blair  Stanley  had  dealt 
her  with  the  heavy  poker  had  made  no  cut  or  external 
wound.  Hagar  was  soon  in  a  fevered  sleep,  and  Esther 
then  left  her  bedside  at  an  urgent  summons  from 
below. 

There  she  found  Luke  Lovell,  the  cause  of  the 


124  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

tumult.  Hearing  that  Hagar  was  ill  both  of  mind  and 
body,  Lovell  had  already  usurped  authority.  Even  now 
he  was  ordering  the  wandering  hunchback  organ 
grinder  from  the  place.  But  if  Quabba  was  frail,  he 
was  courageous.  He  was  insisting  he  would  not  leave 
until  he  had  said  farewell  to  the  strange  grand  lady 
who  had  spoken  Romany  to  him,  and  also  farewell  to 
her  fair-faced  daughter,  who  had  also  bidden  him  to 
stay  and  be  refreshed. 

There  was  something  so  loyal  and  true  in  Quabba's 
respectful  gaze  and  manner,  that,  stranger  as  he  was, 
it  made  Esther  take  his  hand  after  sternly  dismissing 
the  scowling  Lovell,  and  beg  the  humble  hunchback 
to  stay.  "Do  not  leave  us!"  she  whispered.  "Some 
thing  tells  me  you  will  be  a  friend,  and  we  have  no 
friends  now,  save  perhaps  our  gipsy  people!"  And 
even  as  she  spoke,  Esther  recalled  the  scene  in  the 
grand  stand  at  the  tournament,  and  how  this  hunch 
back  wanderer  had  warned  Arthur  that  he  had  been 
betrayed. 

At  this  juncture,  a  carriage  drove  up  to  Stanley  Hall. 
From  this  a  strange  figure  alighted,  the  figure  of  a  tall, 
lank,  serious,  side-whiskered  Englishman  wearing  a 
plaid  suit  with  a  heavy  mourning  band  on  the  arm, 
and  a  glistening  white  tropic  helmet.  This  strange 
individual  had  a  rifle  in  the  carriage. 

At  the  sight  of  Quabba's  chattering  monkey  the  lank 
Englishman  grew  wildly  excited.  "Some  of  their  na 
tive  wild  beasts!"  he  exclaimed,  and  rushed  back  to 
the  carriage  for  the  rifle.  It  took  some  effort  on  the 
part  of  both  Esther  and  Quabba  to  reassure  the  ex 
cited  visitor  that  Clarence,  the  monkey,  was  not  at  all 


A  Mind  in  the  Past  125 

a  wild  beast  of  the  Virginia  jungle,  but  simply  an 
itinerant  organ-grinder's  friend,  companion  and  col 
lector  of  external  revenue. 

Then  the  stranger  made  known  his  name  and  errand. 

"I  am  Marmaduke  Smythe,  of  London,  England, 
family  lawyer  and  agent  of  the  estate  of  the  Earls  of 
Stanley,  of  Stanley  Castle,  Warwickshire,"  he  said. 
"Lord  Cecil  Stanley  died  a  month  ago,  from  the  in 
firmities  of  old  age,  leaving  no  heir  in  England — the 
succession  falling  to  the  eldest  son  of  the  elder  branch 
of  the  American  Stanleys  of  this  place,  Stanley  Hall. 

"I  remember  it  well,  for  I  was  here  to  verify  the 
American  heir,  nearly  twenty  years  ago.  And  a  beastly 
experience  I  had,  my  dear  young  lady.  I  was  am 
bushed  by  croaking  savages  and  fell  off  a  horse,  and 
was  thrown — not  off  the  horse — but  figuratively 
thrown,  into  the  midst  of  a  terrific  and  bloodthirsty 
feud  between  Colonel  Stanley  and  Judge  Stanley,  both 
rip-snorting  fire-eaters,  as  you  Yankees  way  down 
East  in  Virginia  say ! 

"So  my  errand,  young  lady,  in  these  wild  parts  of 
the  American  border,  is  to  notify  young  Arthur  Stan 
ley — both  Colonel  Stanley  and  the  Judge  being  dead 
— that  he  is  the  Earl  of  Stanley,  and  the  title  and 
estates  await  him." 

And  then  it  was  Esther's  painful  task,  glossing  over 
it  as  best  she  could,  to  tell  the  strange  caller  of  the 
accusations  against  the  young  man,  and  of  his  wild 
flight  and  disappearance. 

"My  word!"  exclaimed  the  embarrassed  London  law 
yer.  "What  a  dreadful  way  you  Yankees  have  of 
tomahawking  each  other,  don't  you  know!  If  the 


126  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

American  Earl  is  a  criminal  in  hiding,  I  must  notify 
the  next  of  kin,  the  late  Judge's  son,  whom  I  distinctly 
remember  as  a  vicious  little  beggar  who  bit  me  very 
severely. 

"In  case  his  Lordship,  as  I  must  call  the  fugitive,  is 
captured  by  your  white  cap  chaps  he  will  undoubtedly 
be  lynched,  as  is  your  invariable  custom  on  the  Ameri 
can  frontiers  here,  I  believe.  Hence  the  son  of  the 
late  Judge  will  be  the  Earl  of  Stanley. 

"That  is,  providing  of  course,"  the  lawyer  added, 
"that  the  Honourable  Blair  Stanley,  as  he  would  be 
called  with  us,  has  outgrown  his  vicious  propen 
sities  as  a  child.  For  I  assume  if  he  bites  any  of  your 
prominent  border  ruffians,  he  will  be  tomahawked  or 
lynched  or  put  an  end  to  in  some  unpleasant  manner. 
So  you  must  excuse  my  taking  leave,  as  I  must  notify 
the  next  of  kin!" 

And  he  raised  his  tropic  helmet  politely  and  walked 
in  a  wide  circle  around  the  chattering  monkey,  Clar 
ence,  as  though  he  rather  doubted  the  alleged  harmless- 
ness  of  the  animal  he  deemed  a  denizen  of  the  local 
jungle. 

At  the  gloomy  threshold  of  Mrs.  Lamar  Stanley's 
house,  the  lawyer  received  further  confirmation  of  his 
personal  belief  that  Blair  Stanley  would  never  out 
grow  the  sanguinary  propensities  of  his  childhood. 

In  the  bitter  mood  that  now  obsessed  her,  Blair's 
mother  informed  the  startled  Smythe  that  her  son, 
now  next  in  line  for  the  proud  Stanley  Earldom,  had 
fled,  no  one  knew  whither,  and  she  hoped  never  to  see 
his  face  again.  All  she  would  say,  in  reply  to  the  law 
yer's  nervous  pleadings — for  he  dreaded  a  long  search 


A  Mind  in  the  Past  127 

for  the  heirs  of  Stanley  in  barbarous  America — was 
that  Blair  might  be  found  at  his  cousin's,  Mrs.  Burton 
Randolph's  home,  in  Richmond;  and  for  that  place 
the  English  lawyer  took  the  first  train  from  Fairfax. 

Buoyed  by  the  hope  that  renewed  association  with 
her  gipsy  tribe  might  tend  to  restore  her  mother  to 
reason,  Esther  departed  that  night  with  Hagar  from 
Stanley  Hall.  She  was  accompanied  by  Quabba,  now 
her  faithful  attendant,  and  the  sullenly  insistent  Luke 
Lovell.  It  was  a  sad  return  of  their  stricken  queen  to 
the  grieving  Romany  people. 

Hagar  recognized  the  gipsies  as  gipsies,  but  she 
called  on  the  names  of  those  long  departed,  including 
the  name  of  her  dead  husband,  Matt  Harding,  who 
she  evidently  deemed  was  alive  and  threatening  her. 
For  when  she  spoke  his  name  it  was  in  grim  revolt  and 
with  bitter  maledictions. 

That  night  Quabba  slept  with  his  monkey  beside 
him  at  the  threshold  of  Hagar's  van.  Inside,  Esther 
had  sunk  in  exhausted  slumber  on  her  cot  beside  the 
fever-dream-afflicted  Hagar.  Quabba's  light  slumber 
was  broken  by  the  crunching  of  a  pebble  beneath  a 
heavy  footfall.  He  roused  up  and  drew  his  knife,  and 
the  menacing  figure  of  Luke  Lovell  slunk  back  from 
the  accusative  moonlight  into  the  shadows  and  was 
seen  no  more. 

That  night,  at  this  same  hour  Arthur  Stanley,  a 
fugitive  and  a  wanderer,  a  stranger  in  a  strange  land, 
by  a  smouldering  camp  fire  in  a  far  Western  desert, 
dreamed  a  wild  dream  that  roused  him  with  a  shriek. 
He  saw  the  fear-stricken  face  of  Esther,  and  near  her 


128  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

the  sinister  Luke  Lovell,  with  his  gnarled  great  hands 
stretched  as  though  to  clutch  and  crush  her. 


But  one  who  is  in  society  in  Richmond  may  forget 
unpleasant  things  in  a  ceaseless  round  of  new  friv 
olities. 

Mrs.  Burton  Randolph  returned  from  her  stay  in 
Fairfax  to  find  her  friends  in  an  attitude  of  delightful 
commiseration  toward  her.  It  had  been  generally 
agreed  that  "poor,  dear  Mrs.  Randolph"  was  more  to 
be  pitied  than  twitted  over  the  contretemps  that  had 
marred  her  last  grand  ball  in  Richmond.  The  oc 
casion  when  a  great  diamond  of  fabulous  value  had 
been  wrenched  from  the  neck  of  her  visitor,  and  then, 
following  this  robbery,  a  hue  and  cry  after  a  young 
man  wanted  for  murder  had  ensued. 

Mrs.  Randolph  confided  to  her  dearest  friends  that 
her  life  seemed  fated  to  be  one  of  turmoil  and  tragedy. 
And  she  told  the  select  few,  who  told  the  select  many, 
of  the  dramatic  climax  of  the  tournament  at  Fairfax, 
in  which  the  "delightful,  romantic  young  murderer," 
as  she  described  Arthur  Stanley,  had  turned  up  in 
mask  to  bear  off  the  prize  and  daringly  to  escape  when 
he  was  just  about  to  crown  Esther — whom  Mrs.  Ran 
dolph  described  as  "a  pretty,  unknown,  little  creature" 
— as  Queen  of  Love  and  Beauty. 

Thus,  instead  of  finding  herself  pitied  in  society  in 
Richmond,  Mrs.  Randolph  found  herself  envied  as  a 
social  heroine  of  these  delightfully  dreadful  affairs. 
So,  as  the  beautiful  wistaria  was  empurpling  her  house 
and  grounds,  Mrs.  Burton  Randolph  announced  a  wis- 


A  Mind  in  the  Past  129 

taria  fete,  and  all  Richmond  society  was  nervously  ex 
pectant  of  more  delightfully  dreadful  happenings  to 
occur. 

But  although  the  wistaria  fete  was  a  wondrously 
brilliant  affair — according  to  the  society  columns  of 
the  Richmond  papers — no  untoward  event  marred  the 
pleasure  of  the  day — somewhat  to  the  disappointment 
of  society,  which  rather  expected  such  events  now  at 
all  affairs  that  Mrs.  Randolph  graced  with  her  pres 
ence. 

Blair  Stanley  with  plenty  of  money,  but  keeping 
away  from  Mr.  Abe  Bloom's  temple  of  chance,  turned 
up  in  Richmond  in  pursuit  of  Vivian  Marston.  He 
knew  the  risk  he  took,  as  it  was  evident  some  one  in 
Richmond  had  secured  from  Abe  Bloom  the  check 
that  besides  being  worthless  had  the  incriminating 
print  of  his  thumb  upon  it.  For  the  photograph  of 
this  check  and  thumb  print,  together  with  photo 
graphs  of  his  thumb  prints  taken  from  Doctor  Lee's 
study,  had  been  in  the  possession  of  Hagar  Harding, 
when  Blair  had  struck  her  down. 

But  such  was  his  fierce  passion  for  the  luxurious  and 
beautiful  Vivian  Marston  that  Blair  walked  in  the 
shadow  of  shame  for  her  sake. 

He  intimated  as  much  to  her  when  he  had  led  her 
aside  beneath  the  bower  of  the  purple  blossoms  at  his 
cousin's  wistaria  fete.  "I  have  gone  to  the  foot  of  the 
gallows  for  you,  Vivian!"  he  whispered  to  her,  realiz 
ing  this  beautiful,  languorous  woman  was  one  to  whom 
an  unscrupulous  and  desperate  deed  would  appeal. 
He  felt  that  she,  too,  had  a  past  and  that  in  wickedness 


130  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

they  were  well  matched,  and  for  that  the  desperate 
Blair  loved  her  all  the  more. 

For  herself,  Vivian  Marston  had  lingered  in  Rich 
mond  leading  an  existence  that  was  puritanical  and 
galling  to  her  in  the  vapid  restraints,  as  she  deemed 
them,  of  conventional  Southern  social  restrictions. 
Her  one  strong,  eager,  compelling  desire — a  desire  that 
held  her  in  provincial  Richmond — was  her  desire  for  a 
star — her  desire  for  "The  Diamond  from  the  Sky!" 

Once,  in  all  its  magnificence,  it  had  blazed  upon  her 
breast. 

Vivian  Marston  longed  again  to  hold  and  possess 
it.  Her  thoughts  were  upon  it  by  day,  and  at  night 
her  dreams  were  bright  like  gold  and  red  like  blood — a 
barbaric  background  for  the  dream-diamond  of  these 
vivid  visions.  She  had  heard  its  story  and  knew  that 
after  Arthur,  Blair  was  next  in  claim  for  its  possession. 

She  sank  her  head  upon  Blair's  shoulder  beneath 
the  wistaria  boughs.  She  tempted  him  with  languor 
ous  glance  and  alluring  lips.  "Get  and  give  me  'The 
Diamond  from  the  Sky/  and  I  will  be  yours!"  she 
whispered.  And  Blair,  much  as  he  had  longed  for  the 
baleful  jewel  himself,  longed  more  for  this  woman. 

"I  will  never  rest  till  I  get  it  for  you!"  he  replied 
fiercely.  And  he  would  have  kissed  her  to  seal  the 
contract,  but  she  drew  herself  from  his  arms,  and  he 
knew  that  her  caresses  were  only  to  be  purchased  by 
the  great  jewel,  be  the  price  of  the  diamond  lives, 
souls  or  honor! 

Yet  the  luxurious  and  vivacious  Vivian  was  a  prac 
tical  person.  She  did  not  depend  upon  the  romantic  if 
desperate  efforts  of  a  lover  alone  to  secure  for  her  the 


A  Mind  in  the  Past  131 

star  of  her  desire.  She  consulted  the  business-like  and 
equally  eager  brothers  Bloom.  To  the  gape-mouthed 
Abraham  and  Isaac,  she  confided  the  romantic  story 
of  the  diamond  and  the  confirmation  of  its  great  in 
trinsic  value,  all  of  which  she  had  learned  from  Blair 
Stanley  and  others,  while  in  Fairfax. 

"The  Diamond  from  the  Sky/  as  these  Fairfax 
Stanleys  call  it,  disappeared  in  Richmond,  torn  from 
your  neck  by  the  hands  of  an  unseen  thief  the  night 
of  Mrs.  Randolph's  ball,  didn't  it?"  said  Mr.  Abe 
Bloom,  the  gambler.  "Well,  then,  the  chances  are  a 
hundred  to  one  it  is  still  hidden  in  this  town.  Who 
ever  stole  it  will  want  money  on  it,  that's  reasonable 
enough  to  assume.  It  will  turn  up  all  right,  believe 
me!" 

"It  ith  enough  to  make  a  man  put  a  thine  in  hith 
windowth  thaying  'Higheth  Pritheth  Paid  For  Big 
Diamondth,  And  No  Question ths  Athed!'"  remarked 
his  brother,  Mr.  Ike  Bloom,  who  lisped  when  he  was 
excited.  He  was  quite  excited  when  he  heard  the  ro 
mantic  history  of  the  Stanley  diamond  and  its  price. 
But  especially  did  its  price  excite  him. 

"It  shan't  thlip  through  my  handth  again,  if  I  geth 
hold  of  it,"  he  added.  "I  wouldn't  lendth  it  to  the 
Queen  ofth  Spthain!"  And  as  he  said  this,  he  gave 
his  brother's  "lady  friend  from  New  York,"  as  he  called 
her,  a  meaning  glance. 

"Let  bygones  be  bygones!"  Mr.  Abe  Bloom  snarled 
at  his  brother.  "VT  didn't  lose  it  on  purpose.  I  have 
telephoned  for  Tom  Blake,  whom  I  consider  the  smart 
est  detective  in  this  country.  He  does  what  you  pay 


132  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

him  to  do  and  keeps  his  mouth  shut.  If  the  big  stone 
is  in  Richmond,  Blake  will  find  it!" 

In  a  few  moments  the  suave  yet  reticent  Mr.  Blake 
arrived.  Placed  in  possession  of  all  the  facts  the 
Blooms  and  Vivian  could  give  him,  he  remarked  that 
he  would  do  his  best — and  the  first  and  last  meeting  of 
the  syndicate  to  find  "The  Diamond  from  the  Sky" 
broke  up,  and  the  detective  departed.  He  was  followed 
shortly  afterward  by  Miss  Marston,  whose  Richmond 
society  friends  would  have  been  shocked  beyond  ex 
pression  did  they  know  she  paid  more  than  an  oc 
casional  secret  visit  to  the  establishment  of  Mr.  Abe 
Bloom. 

Meanwhile,  where  is  the  diamond?  It  is  not  a  pearl 
to  be  cast  before  swine,  nor  is  it  fated  to  remain  the 
tinsel  plaything  of  a  negro  lad  who  is  a  herder  of  swine. 

It  is  the  fortune  of  Mr.  Strap  McGee,  hobo,  lately 
released  from  jail  on  suspicion  of  being  Arthur  Stan 
ley,  a  fugitive  murderer,  that  he  shall  have  the  dia 
mond  next. 

In  the  frayed  and  dirty  dress  suit,  all  the  dirtier  for 
its  jail  stains,  Mr.  Strap  McGee  makes  across  country, 
cursing  his  luck.  He  pauses  by  a  pig  pen  to  play  a 
grim  and  intensely  practical  joke  on  a  negro  boy  bent 
over  the  sty.  Mr.  Strap  McGee  picks  up  a  barrel  stave 
and  applies  it  to  the  rear  elevation  of  the  bent-over 
negro  lad.  Then  Mr.  McGee  notes  the  boy,  in  sudden 
pain  and  fright,  has  dropped  some  bauble  plaything 
into  the  swill  of  the  swine. 

Mr.  McGee  is  not  fastidious.  He  fishes  out  the 
bauble.  The  bauble  looks  good  to  Mr.  McGee  and  he 
flees  with  it  at  his  best  speed,  followed  by  a  shower  of 


A  Mind  in  the  Past  133 

stones  from  the  colored  pig  boy,  screaming  from  pain 
and  because  he  is  being  robbed  of  the  sparkling  thing 
he  found  in  an  owl's  nest. 

Richmond  is  not  far  away,  and  Mr.  Strap  McGee 
has  some  loose  change  he  won  at  gaming  with  dice  in 
jail.  He  proceeds  to  imbibe,  biding  his  time  to  dis 
pose  of  the  bauble,  hidden  in  his  rags.  But  when  he 
drops  into  the  curio-shop  opium-den  joss  house,  main 
tained  by  some  Chinese  acquaintances,  his  tipsy  vanity 
impels  him  to  show  the  bauble  to  the  crafty  Hung  Li, 
priest,  den  keeper  and  tong  leader. 

It  is  a  fatal  thing  to  do,  for  luck  has  been  bad  with 
Hung  Li  and  his  friends.  The  police  have  closed  their 
gambling  joint  and  shut  down  on  opium  smoking. 
Hung  Li  believes  that  the  Dragon  of  the  Sky,  the  Great 
God  Lung,  needs  propitiating,  and  then  he  will  bring 
back  good  luck  in  plenty. 

Has  word  of  "The  Diamond  from  the  Sky"  travelled 
to  China  and  back?  The  effigy  of  the  Great  God  Lung 
is  in  the  joss  house  sanctuary  in  the  next  room,  and 
Lung  is  the  Dragon  of  the  Sky.  The  body  of  a  stran 
gled  tramp  is  dropped  that  night  through  a  trap  door, 
and  then  "The  Diamond  from  the  Sky"  is  hung  about 
the  neck  of  the  Great  God  Lung ! 

This  night  Mrs.  Burton  Randolph  would  a-slumming 
go.  Blair  and  Miss  Marston  are  of  the  little  party, 
and  Tom  Blake,  the  detective,  is  to  be  their  guide.  A 
significant  glance  of  caution  and  silence  passes  be 
tween  the  detective  and  Miss  Marston  when  they  meet 
again. 

The  Chinese  quarter  with  its  joss  house  is  the  first 
place  the  slumming  party  visits.  The  wily  Hung  Li 


134  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

wishes  no  visitors  to  the  inner  sanctuary  of  his  joss, 
the  Great  God  Lung,  but  Blake  will  not  be  denied. 
He  says  his  friends  have  come  especially  to  pay  for  and 
burn  incense  for  good  luck  before  the  Great  God  Lung. 
And  so  they  enter  the  sanctuary  and  behold  on  the 
breast  of  the  grotesque  idol  the  jewel  of  price  for  which 
several  of  them  are  seeking! 

Detective  as  Blake  is,  and  possessing  great  and  evil 
powers  in  the  eyes  of  Hung  Li  in  consequence,  yet 
Blake  and  his  friends  are  forced  from  the  place.  The 
ladies,  Mrs.  Randolph  again  in  "a  state  of  nerves,"  are 
sent  home,  and  Blake  from  the  Barest  telephone 
summons  Abe  Bloom  and  his  brother. 

Meanwhile,  Marmaduke  Smythe,  the  English  law 
yer,  has  arrived  at  the  Randolph  house  seeking  Blair 
Stanley.  Determined  upon  his  quest,  the  lawyer  gets 
directions  and  arrives  at  the  joss  house.  Hung  Li  and 
his  confreres  will  have  none  of  the  British  man  of  law. 
But  the  exasperated  Marmaduke  Smythe  will  not  be 
denied.  He  says  he  knows  the  persons  he  is  searching 
for  are  inside  this  beastly  Chinese  place. 

Here  he  is  reinforced  by  the  excited  and  money- 
proffering  Abraham  and  Isaac  Bloom  and  the  equally 
urgent  but  more  self-controlled  private  detective,  Tom 
Blake. 

The  investing  allies,  English,  Irish  and  Hebrew, 
surge  in  upon  the  intrenched  Chinese.  The  struggle 
of  the  invaders  to  gain  the  sanctuary  and  secure,  for 
money  or  by  force,  "The  Diamond  from  the  Sky,"  is 
now  at  its  fiercest. 

But  all  the  while  a  desperate  man  is  climbing  the 
fire  escapes  at  the  back  of  the  Chinese  den.  He  has 


A  Mind  in  the  Past  135 

noted  a  curtain-draped  window  behind  the  joss.  A 
crash  of  glass  is  heard  within.  The  frenzied  Hung  Li 
breaks  from  the  invaders  and  rushes  into  the  sanctu 
ary,  followed  by  the  other  Chinese,  the  two  Blooms, 
the  detective  and  the  bewildered  Englishman. 

A  hand  through  the  broken  glass  behind  the  idol 
has  torn  the  diamond  from  the  neck  of  the  Great  God 
Lung.  With  a  demoniac  scream,  the  frenzied  Hung  Li 
seizes  a  keen  Chinese  sword  at  the  foot  of  the  idol  and 
aims  a  swift  blow  at  the  disappearing  hand. 

Woe  and  bad  luck  forever  for  the  unfortunate  Hung 
Li!  The  blow  has  missed  the  hand  but  has  severed 
the  head  of  the  Great  God  Lung.  Another  slash  in  ex 
cited  frenzy  and  down  comes  the  hanging  altar  lamp 
to  scatter  burning  oil  upon  the  flimsy  furnishings  of 
the  sanctuary,  and  then  the  whole  den  itself  is  a  roar 
ing  blaze  of  fire! 


CHAPTER  IX 
A  RUNAWAY  MATCH 

MRS.  BURTON  RANDOLPH,  society  leader, 
sank  back  in  the  taxicab  petulantly  resolved 
to  have  a  real  good  cry  and  a  thoroughly 
enjoyable  crise  de  nerfs,  as  soon  as  she 
reached  her  luxurious  residence  and  could  give  way  to 
her  emotions  with  all  the  comforts  of  home. 

"I  don't  believe  you  have  any  nerves  at  all,  Vivian!" 
she  whimpered  to  her  guest.  "I  think  you  have  the 
fortitude  of  a  cowboy  or  something  of  that  sort,  and  I 
shall  never  forgive  Blair  Stanley  for  deserting  us  and 
sending  us  home  alone!  As  for  that  detective  Blake, 
I  am  sure  if  it  were  I  he  was  depending  upon  for  any 
pay  for  taking  us  to  such  dreadful  places  as  that  Chi 
nese  den,  he  would  never  get  his  money.  He  at  least 
should  have  seen  us  home  if  Blair  Stanley  was  not  gen 
tleman  enough  to  do  so!" 

"But  the  diamond!"  gasped  Vivian  Marston. 
"Didn't  you  see  how  it  blazed  like  a  coal  of  fire  under 
that  swinging  lamp  and  on  the  idol's  breast?  They 
named  it  rightly  when  they  called  it  'The  Diamond 
from  the  Sky!'" 

"I  believe  you  are  as  crazy  about  that  dreadful  old 
diamond  as  the  silly  Stanleys  are!"  whined  Richmond's 
leading  society  light.  "It  may  be  worth  millions,  but 

136 


A  Runaway  Match  137 

I  would  not  touch  the  awful  thing!  Not  that  I  am 
superstitious,  but  it  is  bad  luck — everybody  says  so. 
And  that  idol — ugh!  I  won't  sleep  for  a  week  for 
thinking  of  the  horrid  thing!" 

But  Vivian  Marston,  engrossed  in  the  intense  and 
desperate  desire  for  the  great  jewel  that  had  obsessed 
her  since  the  day  she  had  first  beheld  it,  said  nothing 
more,  but  bit  her  full  ripe  under  lip  and  clenched  her 
hands  until  the  nails  marked  her  tender  palms.  She 
was  impatient  to  reach  Mrs.  Randolph's  house  and  be 
alone  with  her  burning  longing  for  the  diamond. 

Arriving  there  she  turned  her  tottering  friend  over 
to  the  ministrations  of  her  maid  and  then  rushed  to 
her  own  bedroom.  She  donned  a  peignoir,  but  ever  she 
stood  by  the  window  and  looked  out  across  the  sleep 
ing  city.  It  was  after  midnight  now.  Who  would  get 
the  diamond? 

There  had  been  no  use  to  discuss  further  the  jewel 
of  her  desire  with  her  silly  hostess.  It  was  a  gem  to 
be  worn  by  women  who  dared  aspire  to  it,  a  star  of 
fire  to  be  wrested  from  the  weak  by  men  who  cared 
for  no  consequence  except  to  gam  it.  Who  would 
gain  it  now?  If  Blake  got  it,  as  agent  of  Abe  Bloom 
and  his  brother,  the  pawnbroker,  would  she  be  able  to 
cajole  it  from  those  astute  Hebrews?  She  doubted 
this.  But  if  Blair  Stanley  got  it,  Vivian  knew  it  would 
be  hers  without  dispute. 

Cunning  as  Detective  Blake  was  and  as  astute  as 
were  the  Blooms,  Vivian  Marston  felt  a  supreme  confi 
dence  in  the  daring,  unscrupulous  determination  of 
Blair  Stanley  to  get  the  diamond  to  gain  her  love. 

"The  Diamond  from  the  Sky,"  crime-stained  as  it 


138  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

was,  had  never  been  sullied  by  the  hands  of  traders. 
Since  the  day,  according  to  its  legend,  it  had  fallen 
to  earth  in  a  meteor  and  had  been  held  first  by 
Arthur  Stanley,  gentleman  adventurer  of  Colonial 
Virginia,  three  hundred  years  agone,  it  had  never,  so 
far  as  she  knew,  been  cheapened  or  debased  by  being 
in  the  hands  of  little  men  who  bought  and  sold  its 
gleaming  glory,  and  appraised  it  at  a  price. 

It  had  no  price,  it  was  a  jewel  to  adorn  Beauty  at 
the  hands  of  Daring! 

And  she,  a  beautiful  woman  of  bold  heart,  did  well 
to  rely  on  the  desperate  young  man  who  had  already 
reached  up  from  the  knees  of  murder  for  "The  Dia 
mond  from  the  Sky."  Now  further  incited  by  his  in 
fatuation  for  her,  she  felt  he  would  not  fail. 

After  Blake  and  Blair  had  sent  Mrs.  Randolph  and 
Vivian  Marston  home,  Blake  had  sought  a  telephone 
and  notified  Abe  Bloom  that  the  diamond  they  sought 
was  on  the  neck  of  the  Chinese  idol.  Then  it  was  that 
Blair  Stanley  had  stolen  away  and  had  seized  the 
jewel  by  swift  and  daring  action  in  climbing  the  fire 
escapes  at  the  back  of  the  den,  smashing  the  window 
and  snatching  the  gleaming  gem. 

In  a  shed  by  the  Chinese  den,  Blair  in  his  quick  ex 
ploration  and  approach  had  stumbled  upon  a  motor 
cycle.  In  the  excitement  that  followed  the  fire  he  had 
dropped  from  the  last  iron  ladder  at  the  back  of  the 
den  and  had  whirled  away  on  the  stolen  machine 
through  back  alleys  and  streets  to  where  he  knew 
Vivian  Marston  would  wait  for  him  and  the  precious 
guerdon  that  he  was  bringing  her. 

He  had  the  diamond  and  he  would  have  her!    He 


A  Runaway  Match  139 

felt  the  great  gem  and  the  luxurious  woman  were 
worth  all  he  had  dared  for  both,  and  that  was  much. 

Arriving  beside  the  Randolph  mansion  long  after 
midnight,  he  saw  the  light  shining  from  Vivian's  win 
dow  toward  which  a  wistaria  clambered.  He  drew 
himself  up  the  gnarled  and  tenacious  vine.  Vivian 
came  to  the  window  at  the  first  swaying  of  the  vine. 
Blair  showed  her  the  diamond. 

"Give  it  to  me,"  she  whispered.  But  Blair  was  re 
solved  upon  the  only  price  his  forbears  or  himself 
would  accept  for  this  proud  possession — the  favor  of 
a  woman  they  loved. 

"I  will  wait  for  you  at  the  front  of  the  house!"  Blair 
whispered  tensely.  "We  must  marry  and  leave  Rich 
mond  to-night.  Blake  will  be  hot  after  us!" 

Vivian  nodded,  and  Blair  slid  down  the  wistaria 
and  hid  the  stolen  motorcycle  in  the  thick  vines  at  the 
side  of  the  house.  In  a  few  minutes  Vivian  had  joined 
him. 

A  short  distance  from  the  Randolph  house  they 
hailed  a  belated  taxicab  and  were  driven  to  the  home 
of  the  Reverend  John  Gray,  noted  in  conservative 
Richmond  as  "the  marrying  minister." 

Meanwhile,  driven  out  by  the  flames  of  which  the 
Chinese  den  was  now  a  seething  mass,  Detective  Blake 
with  the  Blooms,  hurried  away  to  avoid  embarrassing 
questions  from  the  police  and  firemen  already 
hurrying  to  the  scene.  The  frenzied  Chinamen  pour 
ing  from  the  place  were  too  excited  to  stay  them.  The 
bewildered  Smythe,  his  respectable  gray  high  hat  and 
his  equally  respectable  frock  coat  on  fire,  was  brushed 
aside  by  Blake  and  the  Messrs.  Bloom. 


140  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

They  were  not  interested  in  the  legal  representative 
of  the  Earls  of  Stanley  or  his  search  for  the  fugitive 
heirs  to  the  Stanley  title  and  estates  in  Warwickshire. 
Their  minds  were  all  upon  the  heirloom  of  the  Ameri 
can  Stanleys. 

"Possession  is  nine  points  of  the  law,"  panted  Mr. 
Abraham  Bloom.  "The  law  is  that  a  pawnbroker  ain't 
responsible  for  pawned  articles  except  to  the  value  of 
the  sum  he  has  advanced  on  them.  If  we  get  hold  of 
his  diamond,  them  Stanleys  can  whistle  for  it,  eh,  Ike?" 

But  Isaac  Bloom,  pawnbroker,  had  an  actual  crise  de 
nerfs  such  as  Mrs.  Burton  Randolph  had  never  been 
able  to  effect.  In  the  words  of  his  more  hardened  and 
experienced  brother:  "Ike  was  all  in!"  He  moaned 
in  the  corner  of  the  taxicab  and  begged  to  be  "Let  out 
of  thith  thing!" 

"It  ain't  your  fire,  you  should  worry,"  sneered  his 
brother,  the  cynical  gambling-house  keeper. 

"For  my  fire,  when  I  have  ith,  I  have  got  an  insur 
ance!"  moaned  the  unhappy  Isaac  Bloom.  "But  to 
thee  a  fire  in  which  a  diamond  goeth  ath  big  ath  your 
fist,  and  worth  a  million  dollars,  ith  too  much,  don't 
you  know!  A  fire  by  which  you  almoth  loothe  your 
life,  as  we  did — well,  wordth  can't  thay  it,  and  I  want 
that  you  should  let  me  out  ath  my  pawnshop ! " 

Tom  Blake,  seasoned  to  excitement  even  more  than 
Mr.  Abe  Bloom,  gambling  house  proprietor,  smiled  at 
the  collapse  of  the  little  pawnbroker.  Tom  Blake  was 
a  plain  or  garden  variety  of  detective.  There  was 
nothing  of  the  Sherlock  Holmes  in  his  makeup,  but 
the  psychology  of  crime  appealed  to  Mr.  Blake. 

As  he  often  said  himself,  he  "loved  to  see  the  wheels 


A  Runaway  Match  141 

go  round."  In  this  case,  as  in  all  his  cases,  he  worked 
with  all  the  skill  of  the  professional  and  all  the  eager 
interest  of  an  amateur.  Yet  he  worked  for  his  clients, 
first,  last  and  all  the  time,  and  it  was  perhaps  for  this 
reason  his  business  flourished  even  in  so  staid  a  city  as 
quaint  old  Richmond. 

Blake  had  worked  for  Hagar  Harding  and  solved  the 
mystery  of  the  murder  of  Doctor  Lee.  He  let  it  remain 
with  her  to  inform  the  authorities  as  to  who  was  the 
guilty  person.  He  was  working  now  for  Mr.  Abe 
Bloom  principally  to  get  "The  Diamond  from  the 
Sky."  When  it  was  in  Mr.  Bloom's  possession  it  would 
be  up  to  that  astute  gentleman,  legally  or  otherwise,  to 
retain  it. 

After  leaving  the  collapsed  Ike  Bloom  in  the  haven 
of  his  pawnshop,  Blake  and  Abe  Bloom  were  driven  to 
the  latter's  gambling  house,  and  from  there  to  the  resi 
dence  of  Mrs.  Burton  Randolph,  society  leader. 

"As  you  say  there  is  $5,000  in  it  for  me,  if  I  get  back 
this  diamond  for  you,  I  will  tell  you  my  theory,"  said 
the  detective  to  his  gambler  client.  "Blair  Stanley  has 
it,  I  feel  sure.  It  belongs  to  his  family,  you  know.  If 
this  Arthur  Stanley,  who  has  also  fled — but  I  can  tell 
you  now  he  is  guilty  of  no  crime  that  I  know  of^dies, 
the  diamond  belongs  to  Blair  Stanley.  But  Blair  does 
not  want  it  for  himself,  he  wants  it  for  that  fair  friend 
of  yours  from  New  York,  Miss  Vivian  Marston.  Blair 
is  crazy  about  that  dame,  and  she  is  crazy  to  get  the 
diamond.  We'll  find  them  at  Mrs.  Randolph's  if  we 
are  not  too  late." 

But  they  were  too  late.  Their  insistence,  however, 
forced  the  presence  of  Mrs.  Randolph  herself,  and  just 


142  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

when  she  was  dropping  off  in  a  sweet  sleep  after  hav 
ing  enjoyed  her  crise  de  nerjs  with  all  the  comforts 
of  home.  Thus  aroused,  Mrs.  Randolph  was  quite  in 
dignant  at  the  detective  and  also  at  the  presence  of 
Mr.  Abe  Bloom,  Richmond's  notorious  gambling  house 
keeper. 

"The  idea!"  she  cried  indignantly.  "The  idea!" 
But  when  the  cynical  Mr.  Bloom  intimated  that  Mrs. 
Randolph's  guest,  the  vivacious  Miss  Marston,  was  a 
friend  of  his,  Mrs.  Randolph  sensed  another  impending 
scandal,  and  "came  down  off  her  perch,"  as  Mr.  Bloom 
afterward  described  it.  She  led  the  way  to  Miss  Mars- 
ton's  chamber.  But  the  bird  had  flown,  and  the  de 
tective  and  gambler  hurried  away,  leaving  Mrs.  Ran 
dolph  inwardly  reproaching  herself  that  she  had 
"taken  up"  an  adventuress  and  had  her  as  a  guest,  on 
the  strength  of  a  Palm  Beach  intimacy !  Suppose  this 
came  out  in  the  papers? 

While  Mrs.  Randolph  was  indulging  in  another  lux 
urious  nervous  collapse  at  this  crowning  contretemps, 
the  detective  and  gambler  were  on  their  way  to  the 
railroad  station  to  head  off  the  fugitives.  Half  way 
to  the  depot,  the  front  tire  on  their  taxicab  blew  out. 

Tom  Blake  looked  at  his  watch.  "Blair  Stanley  and 
the  lady  and  the  diamond  can't  get  a  train  out  of  Rich 
mond  for  over  an  hour  yet,"  said  the  detective.  "I 
have  a  hunch  that  they  know  this,  and  I'll  bet  two  to 
one  they  have  improved  the  shining  hour  by  waking  up 
Parson  Gray,  'the  marrying  minister/  and  getting 
spliced.  I  have  a  wedding  present — a  pair  of  brace 
lets — for  the  groom." 

Mr.  Abe  Bloom  did  not  ask  any  questions.    He  re- 


A  Runaway  Match  143 

alized  there  might  be  several  reasons  that  such  a  piece 
of  punitive  jewelry  could  be  clasped  about  the  wrists 
of  Blair  Stanley. 

At  the  preacher's  house,  which  was  near  by,  neither 
Blake  nor  Bloom  was  surprised  to  see  a  waiting  taxi- 
cab.  Blake  questioned  the  driver  briefly  and  mounted 
the  steps  of  the  parsonage.  The  front  door  was  un 
fastened,  and  he  and  Bloom  glided  silently  into  the 
lighted  hallway.  They  could  hear  the  voice  of  the 
minister  droning:  "I  now  pronounce  you  man 
and  wife!"  Then  Blake  stepped  through  the  wide 
doorway  to  the  parlor.  Blair  Stanley  and  Vivian  were 
facing  the  minister,  and  Blair  was  extending  to  his 
eager-eyed  bride  the  priceless  jewel  with  which  he  had 
won  her. 

Blake  stepped  forward  and,  with  a  deftness  acquired 
by  long  practice,  snapped  his  handcuffs  on  the  wrists  of 
Blair,  exclaiming:  "We  want  that  diamond  and  I  ar 
rest  you  for  the  murder  of  Doctor  Lee!" 

Vivian  did  not  scream.  She  clutched  the  diamond 
and  drew  it  to  her  breast.  Blair,  roused  to  a  frenzy  of 
fright  and  rage  at  the  thought  of  losing  Vivian  and  of 
being  haled  off  as  a  murderer,  swung  his  manacled 
hands  with  all  his  strength.  For  once  Tom  Blake  was 
caught  napping.  He  was  knocked  back  over  a  chair 
and  lay  a  moment  stunned.  Abe  Bloom  was  next  to 
feel  the  swinging  double  blow  of  the  infuriated  Blair. 
Vivian,  quick  as  thought,  pressed  the  button  of  the 
electric  light  switch  near  the  door,  and  she  and  Blair 
rushed  from  the  now  darkened  room,  Blair  pausing  just 
inside  the  hall  to  draw  back  the  sliding  door  of  the 
preacher's  parlor. 


144  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

They  dashed  from  the  house  and  were  in  their  taxi- 
cab  and  away  before  the  excited  and  irresolute  min 
ister  had  thought  to  turn  on  the  light.  The  detective, 
still  dizzy  from  his  stunning  fall,  roused  himself  and 
hurried  after  the  fugitives  from  the  house,  followed 
by  the  astounded  Mr.  Bloom. 

The  taxicab  of  the  newly  married  pair  was  gone. 
The  detective  and  the  gambler  ran  to  their  vehicle  in 
the  next  street,  and,  finding  the  bursted  tire  had  been 
replaced,  ordered  the  driver  to  make  for  the  depot. 

On  their  part,  the  fugitives  had  not  proceeded  to  the 
depot.  It  was  the  more  subtle  Vivian  who  suggested  a 
daring  scheme  of  escape  from  the  city. 

Dismissing  their  taxi  near  Mr.  Ike  Bloom's  pawn 
shop,  they  roused  that  nervously  dozing  lender  of 
money  on  portable  property.  Mr.  Ike  Bloom  was  not 
loath  to  admit  the  fair  Vivian  for,  awakened  now,  he 
was  horribly  frightened  at  the  idea  of  being  alone.  But 
while,  chattering  some  excuse,  Vivian  lavished  her 
smiles  upon  the  unsuspecting  pawnbroker,  Blair 
stepped  behind  him,  and  throttled  him  with  the  chain 
of  the  handcuffs. 

Then  they  bound,  gagged  and  blindfolded  the  un 
fortunate  and  fright-enfeebled  Ike  Bloom.  From  his 
varied  stock  of  goods  in  pawn,  the  two  adventurers 
were  not  long  in  finding  a  key  that  opened  the  hand 
cuffs,  and  in  selecting  complete  disguises.  Vivian 
attired  herself  as  a  natty  youth,  crowning  her  disguise 
with  a  curly  boy's  wig,  "hocked"  but  this  same  day  by 
a  stranded  vaudeville  actress.  Blair  arrayed  himself 
in  a  sombre  frock  coat,  a  silk  hat  and  a  black  cravat. 
Then  he  despoiled  Mr.  Ike  Bloom  of  his  tortoise  shell 


A  Runaway  Match  145 

spectacles  and  donned  them.  With  cosmetic  from 
Vivian's  vanity  case,  he  darkened  his  visage,  and  the 
two,  taking  dress  suit  cases,  with  their  own  and  such 
other  attire  as  struck  their  fancy,  shut  the  spring  lock 
door  on  the  bound,  gagged  and  blindfolded  pawn 
broker. 

With  the  passengers  that  took  the  3.10  A.  M.  train 
north  was  a  natty  college  boy  and  a  bent  gentleman  of 
middle  age  of  clerical  aspect,  evidently  the  collegian's 
father. 

Blake  had  stepped  a  few  yards  away  to  get  a  view 
in  the  station  lights  of  the  faces  of  a  young  married 
couple,  leaving  Abe  Bloom  to  scan  the  other  pas 
sengers. 

"They  didn't  get  on  this  train/'  spluttered  Mr. 
Bloom,  "but  I  wish  I  had  that  young  feller  by  the  neck 
who  dropped  a  cigarette  in  my  eye  from  the  car  win 
dow  as  the  train  pulled  out!" 

"That  young  feller"  was  Vivian  Marston. 


In  the  gipsy  camp,  the  proximity  of  the  Romany 
people  brought  no  return  of  mental  health  to  the  af 
flicted  Hagar.  In  the  trying  days  that  followed,  the 
devoted  Esther  would  have  given  way  to  despair  but 
for  the  cheering  presence  and  loyalty  of  her  new  and 
faithful  friend  and  servant,  Quabba. 

Sedition  was  at  work  among  Hagar's  tribe.  Every 
where  Luke  Lovell  was  whispering  evil  counsel.  He 
had  determined  to  wrest  the  reins  of  power  falling 
from  the  hands  of  Hagar.  Once  leader  of  the  gipsies, 
he  felt  it  would  be  an  easy  thing  to  coerce  Esther  into 


146  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

marriage  and  thus  be  assured  of  his  Romany  kingship. 

Hagar's  wealth  was  a  proverb  among  the  gipsies, 
and  while  they  loved  Esther,  they  listened  to  Luke 
when  he  whispered  to  them  that  now  that  Hagar  was 
bereft  of  her  reason,  her  wealth  belonged  to  and 
should  be  shared  by  the  tribe. 

The  hunchback  sought  in  every  way  to  cheer  Esther 
and  at  times,  while  Hagar  sat  in  her  van  moaning  and 
muttering  for  a  child,  a  son  that  none  had  ever  heard 
had  been  born  to  her,  Quabba  would  take  Esther  for 
walks  upon  the  mountains,  knowing  Hagar  was  safe 
among  the  gipsies,  attended  by  the  elder  women. 

The  favorite  spot  where  Esther  and  Quabba  daily 
climbed  to  talk  of  Arthur  and  to  wonder  where  he  was 
and  when  they  would  hear  from  him,  was  on  the 
mountain's  top  where  a  great  balancing  rock  swayed 
to  the  lightest  touch  and  had  menaced  the  valley  be 
low  for  centuries. 

Upon  such  occasions  they  took  field  glasses  with 
them  and  would  watch  the  roads  for  miles  away,  won 
dering  if  every  distant  rider  were  Arthur  returning  to 
them. 

Upon  one  such  occasion  Quabba  turned  the  glasses 
upon  the  gipsy  village  in  the  hollow  at  the  mountain's 
foot.  There  was  some  excitement  in  the  camp,  it  was 
evident.  The  figure  of  Luke  Lovell  on  an  eminence  in 
the  centre  of  the  camp,  could  be  seen  plainly.  The 
gipsies  had  gathered  around  him  and  it  was  evident 
Luke  Lovell  was  haranguing  them  to  some  evil  pur 
pose  of  his  own. 

Esther  and  Quabba  ran  down  the  mountain,  arriving 
breathlessly  at  the  camp  just  in  time  to  find  Luke 


A  Runaway  Match  147 

Lovell  leading  the  gipsies  to  Hagar's  van  to  despoil 
it  of  Hagar's  supposed  wealth  and  divide  it. 

When  Esther  and  Quabba  pushed  themselves 
through  the  circle  of  gipsies  Luke  had  brought  out  the 
supposed  treasure  chest  from  the  van  without  protest 
from  the  crazed  Hagar.  It  was  a  brass-bound  box  of 
which  Esther  had  lately  carried  the  key.  Esther  had 
seen  the  box  open  and  had  noted  it  contained  only  some 
papers,  yellow  with  age.  These  she  had  not  deemed 
it  her  province  to  examine  until  Arthur  returned. 

But  now  she  stepped  forward,  backed  by  the  active 
and  determined  Quabba,  and  defied  Lovell  to  open  the 
box.  "I  have  the  key!"  she  cried,  producing  it  from 
her  bosom.  "And  you!"  and  she  turned  an  indignant 
glance  upon  the  gipsies,  "if  you  have  no  respect  for 
your  queen  or  for  me,  and  listen  to  the  evil  words  of 
Luke  Lovell,  I  will  open  the  box!" 

She  then  unlocked  and  opened  the  box,  and,  before 
she  could  prevent  it,  Luke  had  thrust  his  knotted  hand 
in  among  the  documents  as  if  searching  for  coins  or 
gems.  He  brought  out  a  bulky  time-stained  document, 
the  seals  broken.  It  was  superscribed: 

"To  be  opened  in  case  my  son,  Arthur  Stanley  2nd,  ever 
does  anything  to  disgrace  the  Stanley  name." 

Esther  snatched  at  the  paper,  but  Luke  Lovell  had 
opened  and  was  reading  it.  At  a  glance  Esther  saw 
enough — she  and  the  sinister  gipsy  both  knew  the 
Stanley  secret! 

Quabba  struck  with  his  dagger  menacingly,  and  Luke 
surrendered  the  paper  to  Esther's  eager  grasp.  But 
Luke  grinned,  secure  in  a  knowledge  that  was  power 


148  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

and  should  be,  he  was  resolved  upon  this,  wealth  to 
him,  as  it  had  been  to  his  long  dead  chief,  the  greedy 
Matt  Harding. 

Esther  covered  her  eyes  with  her  hands,  clutching 
the  document  all  the  tighter  as  she  did  so.  Arthur  was, 
not  her  brother — he  was  not  the  heir  of  Stanley !  She 
tottered  and  would  have  fallen.  Then,  too,  she  sensed 
what  Luke  had  taken  no  thought  of — she  was  the  heir 
of  Stanley! 

Seeing  there  were  no  jewels  or  gold  in  the  box,  as 
Luke  had  intimated  there  would  be,  a  hoarse  murmur 
of  rage  rose  from  the  emotional  gipsies.  They  loved 
Esther  and  they  loved  the  crazed  Hagar,  who  now 
came  feebly  from  the  van  and  asked  in  a  weak  voice: 
"What  is  it,  my  children?" 

Led  by  the  enraged  Quabba,  the  now  infuriated 
gipsies  stoned  Luke  Lovell  from  the  camp,  and  by  this 
act  banished  him  from  the  tribe  forever. 

On  the  far  western  plains,  the  young  fortune  seeker 
who  had  been  known  in  proud  Fairfax  as  the  heir  of 
Stanley,  learned  that  fortune  was  ofttimes  hard  to  find. 
The  hard  and  lonely  work  of  a  herder  was  his,  yet  the 
very  day  that  the  Stanley  secret  became  known  to 
Esther  and  Luke  Lovell,  Arthur,  or,  as  he  is  known, 
"John  Powell,"  tastes  new  adventure. 

A  camp  fire's  smoke  behind  a  great  rock  on  his 
desert  range  lures  him  near.  Four  plotting  "long  rid 
ers"  are  behind  the  rock,  and  Arthur  hears  them  plan 
the  robbery  of  the  Overland  Limited.  He  mounts  his 
horse  and  rides  away.  The  marauders  rouse  up  and 
fire  after  him,  but  they  deem  him  but  a  passing  herder, 


A  Runaway  Match  149 

who  had  not  been  near  enough  to  overhear  them, 
and  they  depart  upon  their  way  to  consummate  their 
robbery. 

It  is  a  congress  of  tramps,  in  far  away  Virginia,  that 
plays  a  part  in  the  next  phase  of  our  strange  story. 
Luke  Lovell,  the  banished  gipsy,  has  fallen  in  with  this 
convention  of  seasoned  ne'er-do-wells.  He*  arouses 
their  criminal  cupidity  with  his  tale  of  gipsy  wealth 
easy  to  secure,  if  they  let  him  lead  them  in  a  raid  on 
a  near-by  gipsy  camp,  defended  only  by  a  dozen  timid 
gipsy  men. 

After  the  incident  of  Luke's  perfidy,  Esther  resolved 
never  to  leave  Hagar  or  the  documents  again  un 
guarded.  She  waited  for  Arthur's  return  with  impa 
tient  longing.  Every  day  she  sent  Quabba  to  the 
mountain  top  by  the  great  rocking  stone  to  watch  for 
Arthur's  coming,  for  she  felt  sure  he  would  come  and 
she  would  tell  him  all. 

It  was  on  sentinel  duty  here  that  Quabba  saw  the 
desperate  tramps,  fired  by  Luke  Lovell's  tales  of  treas 
ure,  raid  the  gipsy  camp.  Quabba  saw  through  the 
glasses  the  outnumbered  gipsy  men  fight  valiantly 
only  to  be  overcome.  Through  the  field  glasses  he 
could  descry  the  bulky  form  of  Luke  Lovell  leading 
the  ragged  marauders.  He  could  see  Lovell  drag 
Esther  from  the  van,  with  Hagar  clinging  feebly  to 
her. 

Quabba,  shaken  with  fear  for  Esther,  resolved  upon 
a  desperate  thing.  Better  death  to  Esther,  he  thought, 
than  she  should  be  in  the  power  of  the  brute  Lovell 
and  his  brute  friends  even  for  an  hour ! 

Seizing  a  heavy  pine  branch  lying  nearby  and  ap- 


150  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

plying  it  as  a  lever,  the  half  delirious  Quabba  pries  at 
the  rocking  stone.  It  poises  a  moment  on  its  pivot, 
and  then  slowly  sways  and  rolls  and  roars  and  rumbles 
down  the  mountain  side. 

Gathering  impetus  with  every  foot  of  fall,  it  starts 
an  avalanche  of  rocks  and  dirt  and  stumps.  Mightier, 
greater,  vaster,  heavier,  grows  the  landslide  started  by 
the  ponderous  rocking  stone,  now  whirling  down  the 
mountain  side  in  a  great  mass  of  dirt  and  rubble,  until 
it  seems  the  very  mountain  is  falling! 

A  roar  from  the  valley  below,  and  then  a  cloud  of 
dust  that  rises  like  a  fog,  shrouding  the  scene.  The 
gipsy  camp  is  wiped  out,  overwhelmed  and  annihilated. 

In  the  far  West,  the  Overland  Limited  gasps  up  a 
steep  grade  in  the  desert.  Beside  it  races  a  wild  horse 
man.  He  grasps  the  platform  rails  of  a  car  that  lum 
bers  by  him  and  his  horse  gallops  on,  passed  and  dis 
tanced  by  the  train,  while  the  daring  rider  clings  and 
pants  in  his  perilous  place.  The  door  of  the  vestibule 
opens,  and  the  trainmen  refuse  to  heed  the  warning  of 
the  spent  hysterical  man  clinging  perilously  to  the 
handrail. 

It  is  Arthur  and  he  is  desperate  that  he  is  doubted, 
believed  to  be  an  outlaw  train  robber,  like  those  of 
whom  he  warns  them.  Unheeding  of  his  protests, 
scorning  his  warning,  they  thrust  him  from  the  plat 
form  and  he  falls  insensible  by  the  track  and  down  the 
steep  embankment,  and  the  train  pants  on ! 

Among  the  passengers  to  whom  it  is  whispered  that 
a  desperate  train  robber  has  attempted  to  board  the 


The  Diamond  from  the  Sky  151 

train  from  horseback,  are  a  young  married  couple, 
known  as  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Peyton. 

Mrs.  Peyton,  whose  husband  addresses  her  as  Viv 
ian,  has  shown  some  of  the  ladies  on  the  Overland  a 
wondrous  diamond,  set  in  an  antique  locket,  that  her 
husband  gave  her  as  her  wedding  present.  "An  old 
family  heirloom,"  the  happy  bride  explains. 


CHAPTER  X 

OLD   FOES   WITH   NEW   FACES 

AFFLICTED  as  he  was,  Quabba,  the  hunch 
back,  he  of  the  sunny  face  and  happy  heart, 
was  as  agile  and  as  sinewy  as  the  monkey 
Clarence,  his  companion  on  his  way  through 
the  world.    But  now  the  hunchback  is  neither  sunny 
of  face  nor  happy  of  heart.    A  tremor  of  fear,  anxiety 
and  remorse  shakes  him  in  an  ague  of  terror  and 
confusion. 

Sending  the  rocking  stone,  pried  from  the  perch 
where  it  had  swayed  for  centuries,  had  only  meant 
death  for  all  below,  thinks  Quabba.  Instead  of  saving 
his  young  and  old  mistress  and  his  gipsy  friends  from 
the  raid  of  desperate  tramps,  led  by  Luke  Lovell, 
Quabba  now  believes  that  he  has  destroyed  those  he 
has  loved,  as  well  as  their  enemies. 

But,  as  he  ran  panting  down  the  mountain  side, 
Quabba  sees  that  some  of  the  gipsies,  warned  by  the 
clatter  and  roar  of  the  landslide  the  massive,  bounding, 
loosened  rocking  stone  has  started,  have  fled  to  safety. 
Through  the  dust  that  is  settling  in  a  cloud  over  the 
debris  and  rubble  where  the  camp  had  stood,  the 
straining  eyes  of  Quabba  mark  the  ragged  figures  of 
some  of  the  assaulting  tramps  limping  away  from  the 
scene  of  destruction,  as  bootless  as  they  came. 

152 


Old  Foes  with  New  Faces  153 

Then,  as  he  came  nearer,  the  anguished  Quabba  saw 
that  the  fleeing  gipsies  had  paused  half  way  up  the 
opposite  slope  and  had  nerved  themselves  to  return  to 
their  annihilated  camp.  With  an  aching  heart  and  a 
great  burning  sense  of  reproach  for  the  rash  deed  that 
had  worked  such  ill  when  he  had  meant  but  good, 
Quabba  also  saw  that  Esther  and  Hagar  were  not 
among  those  hysterical  gipsies  who  were  returning  to 
the  scene  of  destruction. 

When  he  reached  the  heaps  of  rubble  and  wreckage 
that  had  been  the  camp  site,  the  gipsies  had  already 
gathered  in  a  group  where  the  van  of  Hagar  lay  over 
turned,  half  covered  by  a  mass  of  rocks  and  earth. 
Then  his  heart  beat  again  with  joy  as  he  heard  the 
voice  of  Esther,  tremulous,  yet  brave  for  all  that,  issue 
from  beneath  the  van.  "If  you  are  friends,  save  us!" 
was  Esther's  cry.  Strong  and  willing  hands  tore  at 
the  heaped  up  rock  and  rubble,  and  strained  and  lifted 
at  the  van. 

Soon  it  was  raised  from  over  the  cavity  its  very  over 
turning  had  supplied.  There  were  Esther  and  Hagar 
trembling  but  unhurt,  save  for  a  few  minor  scratches 
and  bruises,  but  in  the  bottom  of  the  cavity  lay  the 
bulky  form  of  Luke  Lovell,  seemingly  stark  and  life 
less.  Kindly  hands  drew  Hagar  and  Esther  out,  and 
Quabba  fell  at  their  feet,  uttering  incoherent  self-ac 
cusations  mingled  with  equally  incoherent  thanks 
givings,  while  a  kindly  hand  threw  a  coat  across  the 
inanimate  face  and  form  of  the  gipsy  outlaw. 

Then  comedy  succeeded  tragedy.  The  shrill  cries  of 
Clarence,  the  monkey,  were  heard  voicing  his  Simian 
fright  and  indignation  from  within  the  van.  The 


154  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

mercurial  gipsies  turned  from  sighs  to  laughter  and 
even  the  wan  lips  of  Esther  were  wreathed  with  a 
smile,  as  Quabba  cried  excitedly:  "I  am  coming,  Clar 
ence,  my  son!"  and  so  saying  he  wrenched  open  the 
shattered  window  of  the  van  and  the  frightened  mon 
key  leaped  into  his  master's  arms  and  began  chattering 
his  thanks  and  joy. 

The  saving  of  gipsy  lives  was  due  to  the  providen 
tial  fact  that  the  onslaught  of  the  marauding  tramps, 
led  by  Lovell,  had  driven  the  gipsies  from  the  danger 
zone  when  the  avalanche  of  stones  and  earth  had 
struck  the  camp.  How  many  of  the  tatterdemalion  in 
vaders  lay  dead  and  buried  beneath  the  settled  land 
slide,  the  philosophical  gipsies  neither  cared  nor  sought 
to  ascertain.  It  was  found  later  that  Luke  Lovell  had 
evidently  been  only  stunned,  and  not  killed,  as  was  at 
first  supposed;  for  when  the  gipsies  returned,  after 
making  rude  shelter  tents  away  from  the  rubble  of  the 
landslide,  no  trace  of  Lovell  could  be  found.  He  had 
recovered  consciousness,  it  was  evident,  and  had  stolen 
away,  fearful  of  the  vengeance  of  his  former  Romany 
associates. 

Quabba  deemed  it  best  to  keep  secret  the  fact  that 
he  had  been  the  genius  of  the  landslide.  It  had  been 
a  fatal  success.  He  affected  the  philosophy  of  the 
gipsies  in  the  matter  and  agreed  with  them  that  some 
how  good  had  come  out  of  the  general  destruction, 
even  if  it  were  only  their  riddance  of  the  unscrupulous 
Luke  Lovell  and  his  ruffian  rabble,  the  tramps. 

Acknowledged  as  their  princess  and  reigning  over 
them  as  regent  for  the  afflicted  Hagar,  Esther  appointed 
a  headman  from  the  gipsies  in  the  place  of  the  deposed 


Old  Foes  with  New  Faces  155 

and  banished  Lovell,  and  returned  with  Hagar  and 
Quabba  to  Stanley  Hall,  which  was  still  held  in 
Hagar's  name  in  accordance  with  the  terms  of  the 
lease  she  had  taken. 

Luke  Lovell,  when  he  had  recovered  consciousness, 
had  drawn  himself  unobserved  from  the  hollow  beside 
the  now  righted  van.  He  had  no  intention  of  endeav 
oring  to  rejoin  such  of  the  tramps  who  had  attacked 
the  camp  with  him  and  who  might  have  escaped  un 
hurt  from  Quabba's  landslide. 

Luke,  now  knowing  the  source  of  the  dead  Matt 
Harding's  gipsy  wealth  that  was  now  Hagar's,  and  of 
which,  since  Hagar's  sudden  affliction,  no  one  knew  the 
hiding  place,  felt  sure  that  it  had  not  been  decreased 
under  Hagar's  stewardship  while  sane.  Wherever  the 
treasure  was,  it  was  not  in  Hagar's  brass-bound  chest. 
Only  documents  were  in  that  chest,  but  they  were 
treasures  of  themselves,  for  did  not  one  of  them  espe 
cially  set  forth  the  fact  that  Hagar's  long  dead  hus 
band,  the  greedy  Matt  Harding,  had  trafficked  with 
the  great  folks  of  Fairfax  in  his  own  flesh  and  blood 
and  theirs? 

Here  was  a  fortune  to  be  obtained  by  himself,  as  it 
had  been  obtained  by  Matt  Harding,  Luke  Lovell 
thought.  And  he  limped  away  unseen  from  the  de 
stroyed  gipsy  camp  and  trudged  resolutely  to  Fairfax, 
some  eight  or  ten  miles  away. 

There  was  no  one  at  Stanley  Hall  to  pay  him  for 
keeping  or  telling  the  Stanley  secret,  but  Luke  Lovell 
knew  enough  of  the  Stanleys  and  their  feuds  to  realize 
his  best  market  would  be  with  Blair  Stanley's  mother. 
If  Arthur  Stanley,  so-called,  was  Hagar's  son,  a  gipsy 


156  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

changeling,  then  Blair  Stanley  was  the  real  heir  to  the 
Stanley  Earldom,  to  which,  according  to  the  old  family 
tradition,  the  heir  was  commanded  to  carry  "The  Dia 
mond  from  the  Sky." 

But  he  found  Blair  Stanley's  mother  would  hold  no 
traffic  with  him,  the  sinister-looking  gipsy,  who  waited 
at  her  door  with  a  secret  to  sell.  She  ordered  him  to 
be  gone  and  professed  no  interest  in  the  ware  he  hinted 
he  had  for  sale. 

Ellen  Stanley  was  in  her  austere  way  as  unscrupu 
lous  in  her  family  ambition  as  even  the  grim  Judge 
Lamar  Stanley  had  been.  But  she  would  have  no  com 
merce  with  such  as  Luke  Lovell.  She  realized  only  too 
well  that  once  such  a  creature  had  her  in  his  power, 
even  as  a  confidant,  his  dominion  would  be — as  is  al 
ways  the  dominion  of  the  ignorant — brutal  and  un 
tenable.  So  Blair's  mother  dismissed  the  chagrined 
gipsy  in  cold  disdain. 

"If  you  have  any  secret  to  sell,  take  it  to  some  other 
market!"  said  the  widow  Stanley,  with  cold  hauteur. 
"Unless  you  leave  my  premises  this  instant,  I  shall 
have  you  arrested  and  committed  for  attempted  black 
mail.  Shout  your  so-called  secret  from  the  housetops, 
if  you  please,  I  am  not  concerned!" 

But  Luke  Lovell,  thwarted  and  discouraged  though 
he  was  in  his  first  bold  bid  for  the  fortune  he  had  be 
lieved  was  within  his  grasp,  had  no  intention  of  shout 
ing  his  secret  from  the  housetops.  He  must  find  some 
one  who  would  pay  for  it — this  some  one  was  Blair 
Stanley,  he  did  not  doubt.  He  resolved  to  search  for 
Blair  in  the  Far  West,  where  it  was  rumored  he  had 
gone. 


Old  Foes  with  New  Faces  157 

Yet  if  Blair  Stanley's  mother  had  refused  to  traffic 
with  the  sinister  gipsy,  she  was  shrewd  enough  to  sur 
mise  something  of  the  secret  that  had  become  a  living 
thing  again  after  lying  dormant  for  all  these  years! 

Why  had  her  husband  set  off  alone  to  meet  his  death 
in  the  mountains  the  day  after  Colonel  Stanley  had 
died,  nearly  twenty  years  ago?  Why  had  Doctor  Lee 
adopted  the  gipsy  woman's  daughter  a  few  months 
since?  Why  had  this  gipsy  woman  returned  recently, 
in  the  guise  of  a  woman  of  means,  and  taken  Stanley 
Hall?  Why  had  she  come  with  proofs  of  Blair's  guilt 
of  the  murder  of  Doctor  Lee  and  proffered  her  silence 
in  exchange  for  social  recognition  of  this  girl  by  the 
proud  families  of  Fairfax? 

And  now  that  this  gipsy  woman  was  crazed,  and  all 
fear  of  her  son's  guilt  being  known,  for  the  time  being 
at  least,  might  be  set  at  rest,  Mrs.  Stanley  resolved  to 
take  advantage  of  these  things  as  she  suspicioned 
them.  If  this  girl  was  the  real  heir,  the  missing  heir  of 
Stanley  Hall,  of  which  there  had  been  vague  whispers 
for  years,  why  not  prepare  for  and  fortify  against  any 
possible  disgrace  that  might  threaten  through  her  son's 
rash  and  dreadful  deed — the  murder  of  Doctor  Lee? 

Mrs.  Stanley  resolved  to  make  friends  with  Hagar's 
supposed  daughter.  If  Arthur  Stanley,  so-called,  was 
not  the  rightful  heir,  Blair  Stanley  was.  But  this  left 
the  girl  heir  to  Stanley  Hall,  and  all  could  be  con 
served  and  all  be  well,  if  Blair  might  return  and  marry 
Esther. 

Even  though  Hagar  recovered  her  faculties,  she  must 
remain  silent  as  to  Blair's  guilt  were  he  Esther's  hus 
band,  thought  Mrs.  Stanley.  As  for  Arthur  Stanley, 


158  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

so-called,  there  was  slight  fear  of  his  returning  and 
asserting  his  claims  to  the  Stanley  earldom  and  "The 
Diamond  from  the  Sky."  The  shrewd  Ellen  Stanley 
guessed  now  the  true  cause  of  Arthur's  flight  and  con 
tinued  absence. 

It  must  be  because  he,  too,  had  learned  the  Stanley 
secret! 

At  Stanley  Hall,  Esther,  made  a  woman  and  resolute 
by  all  the  tragic  occurrences  that  had  lately  befallen 
her,  had  resolved  it  was  her  duty  to  examine  further 
into  the  documents  in  Hagar's  brass-bound  box.  First 
she  again  endeavored  to  lift  the  cloud  from  Hagar's 
mind  by  earnest  inquiries  and  kindly  beseechings.  But, 
as  one  in  a  daze,  Hagar  would  only  rouse  from  her 
reveries  and  moan:  "My  son,  give  me  back  my  son, 
my  little  babe!" 

So  Esther  read  the  documents  alone.  The  proof 
was  plain.  She  was  in  her  rightful  place  at  Stanley 
Hall,  for  she  was  Esther  Stanley.  But  she  resolved, 
through  the  love  she  bore  for  him  she  had  known  as 
Arthur  Stanley,  that  she  would  take  the  secret  to  the 
grave.  She  would  spare  Arthur  the  shame  she  knew 
his  proud  spirit  would  feel.  What  to  her  was  place  and 
position  here  in  Fairfax  among  a  proud  people  who, 
so  far  as  their  women  folk  were  concerned,  had  ostra 
cized  and  ignored  her? 

Yet  when  we  are  young  we  have  our  hopes  and 
dreams.  Esther's  hope  and  dream  was  the  return  of 
Arthur,  the  sharing  of  the  secret  with  him,  and  his 
love.  Then  all  would  be  well. 

So  it  was  that  Esther  was  not  wholly  surprised  when 
Blair  Stanley's  mother  called  at  Stanley  Hall  and 


Old  Foes  with  New  Faces  159 

strangely  proffered  her  friendship  and  assistance,  even 
though  there  were  no  confidences  exchanged  between 
them.  Esther  suspected  that  Blair's  mother  vaguely 
knew,  but  in  her  loneliness,  and  having  no  friend  save 
the  humble  though  devoted  Quabba,  Esther  was  glad 
to  accept  the  proffered  friendship  of  her  kinswoman, 
though  neither  spoke  of  the  tie. 

Mrs.  Stanley  suggested  that  Hagar  be  taken  to  Rich 
mond  for  treatment  for  her  mental  affliction.  She  also 
insisted  that  Esther  should  go  to  Richmond  and  be 
chaperoned  there  the  while  by  Mrs.  Burton  Randolph. 

It  may  have  been  that  Mrs.  Burton  Randolph  stood 
in  fear  of  Mrs.  Lamar  Stanley,  fear  that  was  aug 
mented  in  the  fact  that  Blair's  mother  knew  the  true 
character  of  Vivian  Marston,  whom  Mrs.  Randolph 
had  flaunted  in  the  faces  of  Richmond  society  as  one 
of  New  York's  Four  Hundred. 

It  may  have  been  also  that  the  sweet  nature  and 
beauty  of  Esther  and  her  air  of  gentle  breeding  ap 
pealed  to  Mrs.  Randolph  more  than  her  fear  of  Blair's 
mother.  It  had  always  been  Mrs.  Randolph's  pet  di 
version  to  have  a  protegee.  It  was  a  distinct  relief  to 
have  as  such  an  unsophisticated  young  girl  like  Esther, 
after  her  recent  association  with  the  worldly-wise  Viv 
ian  Marston.  At  any  event,  Mrs.  Randolph  made 
Esther  a  welcome  guest,  and  assisted  Blair's  mother 
in  securing  the  leading  alienist  of  Richmond  to  treat 
Hagar  for  her  mental  infirmity. 

Quabba  had  been  left  behind  at  Stanley  Hall,  but 
Quabba  suspicioned  that  Blair's  mother  was  an  old  foe 
with  a  new  face  of  friendship.  As  always,  he  resolved 
to  guard  Esther  with  his  ever  eager,  though  humble, 


160  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

efforts,  and  Esther  and  Hagar  with  Mrs.  Stanley  were 
not  long  in  Richmond  before  the  faithful  Quabba  fol 
lowed. 

Mrs.  Randolph  had  suggested  to  Blair's  mother, 
when  she  found  Mrs.  Stanley  desired  her  son's  return, 
to  consult  with  that  detective  Tom  Blake  in  settling 
the  many  claims  and  debts  that  were  held  against  the 
reckless  Blair  in  Richmond. 

Blake  effected  a  conference  between  Blair's  mother 
and  Abe  Bloom,  the  gambling  house  keeper,  who  held 
the  bad  check  for  two  thousand  dollars  he  had  cashed 
for  Blair,  and  who  was  the  most  pressing  claimant 
against  him. 

At  this  conference,  although  the  accusation  was  not 
made,  Mrs.  Stanley  soon  surmised  that  Blake  and 
Bloom  knew  of  Blair's  guilt  of  the  murder  of  Doctor 
Lee.  It  was  from  Blake  and  Bloom,  through  the  agency 
of  the  inky  thumb  print  on  the  bad  check,  that  the  guilt 
had  been  established,  his  mother  soon  inferred.  She 
also  surmised  that  it  was  from  this  source  Hagar  had 
obtained  her  proofs.  In  her  present  condition  Hagar 
was  oblivious  of  such  matters  now.  The  only  two, 
then,  in  all  the  world  who  knew  were  the  detective  and 
the  gambling-house  keeper. 

It  was  not  necessary  to  enter  into  any  detailed  ar 
rangements.  Mr.  Bloom  was  sententious  and  explicit. 

"You  make  good  this  unpaid  check  of  your  son's," 
he  said,  "and  me  and  Blake  won't  say  nothing  or  cause 
your  son  any  trouble.  But  there's  one  thing  else.  I've 
got  to  have  this  big  stone  what  you  aristocrats  of  Fair 
fax  County  call  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky.'  My 
brother  advanced  money  on  it,  and  even  if  he  hadn't, 


Old  Foes  with  New  Faces  161 

that's  my  price  for  keeping  my  mouth  shut/'  he  added. 
"And  I'll  see  that  Blake  here  says  nothing,  neither." 

"But  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky'  has  disappeared. 
We  don't  know  where  it  is,"  said  Mrs.  Stanley  coldly, 
though  in  her  heart  she  raged  at  the  presumption  of 
the  grasping  gambler. 

"It'll  turn  up,  them  big  stones  always  do,  but  that's 
my  price!"  retorted  Mr.  Abe  Bloom.  "If  it  ever  turns 
up  in  other  hands  you  Stanleys  can  replevin  it.  No 
one  can  dispute  your  title  to  it.  There  ain't  another 
one  like  it  in  the  world.  But  when  you  Stanleys  get 
it,  it  comes  to  me!  That's  understood  and  agreed,  eh, 
Blake?" 

There  was  a  strange  gleam  in  the  keen  eyes  of  the 
detective,  but  he  nodded  his  head  and  answered 
quietly:  "Yes,  that's  understood  and  agreed." 

Reaching  Richmond,  it  had  been  no  trouble  for 
Quabba,  at  his  old  occupation  of  organ  grinder,  to  find 
the  house  of  Mrs.  Burton  Randolph  where  he  knew 
Esther  was  stopping  in  Richmond. 

He  had  just  reached  the  house,  and  had  just  been 
ordered  to  move  on  by  a  passing  policeman,  who  evi 
dently  feared  the  hunchback  might  disturb  the  aristo 
cratic  languor  of  so  restricted  a  neighborhood  by  his 
vulgar  organ  tunes,  when  a  taxicab  drove  up  and 
Blake  and  Bloom  alighted  from  it  and  entered  the  Ran 
dolph  residence.  This  visitation  was  such  a  surprise 
to  the  policeman  that  he  readily  vouchsafed  the  in 
formation  as  to  who  these  individuals  were,  when 
Quabba  inquired. 

"Them?"  said  the  policeman,  "them's  two  of  the 
wisest  guys  in  Richmond,  Tom  Blake,  who  runs  the 


162  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

Blake  Detective  Agency,  and  Abe  Bloom,  the  biggest 
gambler  in  this  burg.  I  wonder  what  they  are  doing 
calling  on  this  grand  dame,  Mrs.  Burton  Randolph. 
Maybe  Abe  Bloom  and  Tom  Blake  are  going  into 
society!" 

Then  ordering  Quabba  to  move  on  again,  he  moved 
on  himself. 

Quabba  with  his  monkey  and  organ  moved  on,  but 
only  to  the  side  of  the  house. 

A  detective  and  a  gambling  house  keeper!  These 
were  strange  visitors  indeed,  and  suspecting  the  mo 
tives  of  Mrs.  Stanley's  sudden  patronage  of  Esther  as 
he  did,  Quabba  squatted  close  by  the  low  window  of 
the  reception  room  and  listened.  He  overheard  enough 
to  realize  that  Blair  Stanley's  return  was  being  ar 
ranged,  and  he  knew  this  boded  no  good  to  his  fair 
young  mistress. 

After  the  detective  and  gambler  had  departed, 
Quabba  sent  his  ambassador  and  collector  of  external 
revenue,  Clarence,  the  monkey,  up  the  wistaria  vines 
to  the  upper  chamber  which  he  surmised  might  be 
Esther's.  He  was  right  in  his  surmise.  Esther,  who 
like  Mrs.  Randolph,  had  withdrawn  when  visitors  on 
private  business  had  been  announced  for  Mrs.  Stanley, 
was  in  her  room. 

The  chattering  of  the  monkey  on  her  window  sill 
roused  Esther  from  a  reverie  of  Arthur,  and  with  a  glad 
cry  she  ran  to  the  window  and  hugged  the  affectionate 
little  beast  and  waved  a  welcome  to  the  smiling  Quabba 
below.  Then  Quabba  laid  his  finger  to  his  lips  as  a 
sign  of  secrecy,  yanked  the  string  to  recall  his  ambas 
sador,  and  departed. 


Old  Foes  with  New  Faces  163 

Beside  the  track  in  the  glaring  California  desert, 
Arthur  Stanley  lay  stunned.  His  horse,  as  all  horses 
he  handled,  loved  him,  roused  him  by  nosing  at  him. 
Arthur,  dazed  and  aching,  mounted  his  affectionate 
four-footed  friend  and  again  galloped  after  the  train. 

At  the  very  top  of  the  grade,  the  ambushed  robbers 
halted  the  express,  with  an  obstruction  on  the  track 
too  great  to  be  risked  by  the  engineer  endeavoring  to 
pass  through  it.  When  Arthur  arrived  upon  the  scene, 
two  robbers  were  in  the  express  car  and  two  were  going 
through  the  Pullmans.  Another  had  compelled  the 
fireman  to  uncouple  the  locomotive  and  covering  the 
engineer  had  made  him  drive  the  detached  machine  up 
the  track  some  distance  from  the  standing  train. 

Scarce  knowing  what  he  did,  Arthur  galloped  by  and 
mounting  the  engine  at  the  end  of  the  tender  from  his 
horse's  back,  grappled  with  the  lone  robber  covering 
the  engineer.  A  desperate  struggle  followed  by  the 
furnace  door.  Seizing  a  large  wrench,  the  engineer 
aimed  a  blow  at  the  robber  struggling  with  Arthur  but 
the  blow  missed  foe  and  hit  friend,  and  Arthur  was 
stretched  senseless  on  the  firing  board.  The  robber 
with  a  curse  jumped  from  the  engine  and  ran,  rejoining 
his  companions. 

In  one  of  the  Pullmans,  Vivian  Marston,  now  Mrs. 
Blair  Stanley,  was  among  those  held  up  at  pistol's 
point.  An  envious  woman  passenger  to  whom  Vivian 
had  shown  the  great  diamond  in  the  antique  locket, 
had  betrayed  the  fact  she  possessed  it.  Despite  her 
pleadings,  cajolements  and  even  curses,  curses  that 
were  chorused  by  the  wildly  enraged  Blair,  the  chuck 
ling  robbers  bore  off  the  great  gem  with  their  other 


164  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

booty.  Laden  with  a  sack  of  valuables  and  taking  also 
a  hundred  thousand  dollars  in  banknotes  from  the 
express  messenger,  the  robbers  decamped. 

Within  a  few  hours  a  California  sheriff  and  his  posse 
of  deputies  and  railroad  detectives  were  hot  on  their 
trail,  and  "John  Powell,"  sheep  herder,  after  being 
lionized  a  few  brief  moments,  was  back  at  his  lonely 
occupation. 

Vivian,  despoiled  of  the  jewel  for  which  she  would 
have  risked  her  soul,  reproached  herself  and  her  raging 
bridegroom  that  they  did  not  die  gloriously  in  defend 
ing  it.  In  her  bitter  anger  Vivian  taunts  Blair  by 
telling  him  she  only  married  him  to  gain  "The  Dia 
mond  from  the  Sky,"  and  now  that  it  is  gone  he  must 
regain  it,  or  see  her  no  more.  In  vain  he  protests. 
She  threatens  to  give  him  over  to  the  police  and  deserts 
him  in  Los  Angeles  and  wires  to  Abe  Bloom  in  Rich 
mond  telling  of  the  loss  of  the  diamond  and  asking  for 
funds.  The  deserted  and  raging  Blair  pawns  what  pos 
sessions  the  train  robbers  have  left  him  and  under  his 
assumed  name  of  Peyton,  hides  in  a  mean  hotel  after 
writing  to  his  Richmond  relative,  Mrs.  Burton  Ran 
dolph,  to  intercede  for  him  with  his  mother,  with  the 
result  we  have  seen. 

Far  off  in  the  desert  fastnesses  the  pursuit  of  the 
posse  after  the  train  robbers  is  hotly  on.  A  shot  and 
the  rearmost  saddle  of  the  fleeing  outlaws  is  empty; 
but  as  the  outlaw  falls,  "The  Diamond  from  the  Sky" 
that  he  has  clawed  out  from  the  sack  of  valuables 
gathered  in  the  Pullman,  flies  from  his  now  nerveless 
hand  and  lies  glittering  but  unnoticed  by  a  clump  of 
cacti,  as  the  posse  thunders  by. 


Old  Foes  with  New  Faces  165 

Another  shot  goes  home,  and  the  foremost  outlaw 
falls.  Another  shot  and  his  riderless  horse  drops  dead 
in  its  tracks.  As  this  horse  falls  the  treasure  sack 
from  the  express  car,  stuffed  with  banknotes,  falls  half 
under  the  dying  animal.  The  bulk  of  its  prostrate  body 
masks  the  treasure  sack,  conceals  it  from  view  of  the 
posse  that  gallops  almost  over  the  dead  horse's  hoofs 
as  the  pursuit  of  the  three  surviving  desperadoes 
goes  on. 

And  so  they  go,  pursuers  and  pursued,  on  and  out 
of  our  story.  For  what  recks  it  if  there  is  killing  or 
capture  or  escape,  when  the  desert  holds  treasure  in 
the  shape  of  a  fortune  in  cash  and  the  diamond  of  the 
Stanleys? 

A  month  later,  John  Powell,  sheepherder,  is  sent  to 
the  desert  to  find  a  strayed  flock.  Beneath  the  skeleton 
of  a  buzzards'  feast — a  dead  horse — he  finds  the  stolen 
money. 

In  a  frenzy  of  delight,  he  remembers  Monte  Cristo, 
which  as  the  wild  young  master  of  Stanley  Hall 
he  had  read  with  greedy  eagerness.  And  so,  like  Ed- 
mond  Dantes,  he  stands  erect  and  cries  in  the  burning 
desert  waste:  "The  World  Is  Mine!" 

"The  Diamond  from  the  Sky"  is  lying  near;  it 
gleams  in  the  sun  on  the  desert  sand  among  rattle 
snakes  and  cacti,  but  John  Powell,  blinded  with  the 
treasure  that  he  grasps  from  the  bones  of  a  mouldering 
horse,  sees  it  not. 

And  there  it  lies! 


CHAPTER  XI 
OVER   THE   HILLS   AND   FAR   AWAY 

ALTHOUGH  raging  at  Vivian's  cool  dismissal 
of  him,  after  admitting  she  had  only  married 
him  to  gain  possession  of  the  diamond,  Blair 
was  not  wholly  pleased  at  receiving  money 
from  his  mother  in  Richmond  and  word  that  he  might 
return.  He  had  half  a  mind  not  to  go  back,  but  he 
felt  sure  that  there  was  small  hope  of  getting  trace  of 
the  diamond  now  that  it  had  fallen  into  the  clutches 
of  the  train  robbers. 

"But  if  Vivian  gets  it,"  he  thought — "and  she  will 
get  it  if  she  hears  of  it — such  a  gem  will  make  its  pres 
ence  known — she  must  then  send  for  me,  for  only 
as  my  wife  can  she  hope  to  have  any  claim  on  the 
Stanley  heirloom.  And  if  she  will  not  have  me  with 
out  the  diamond,  she  will  have  to  have  me  with  it!" 

So  Blair  Stanley  paid  his  bill  at  the  second-rate  Los 
Angeles  hotel  and  with  his  valise  in  hand  proceeded  to 
the  depot  to  take  the  train  back  East.  He  wondered 
morosely  as  he  wended  his  way  if  anything  had  been 
heard  in  Richmond  or  Fairfax  of  the  missing  Arthur 
Stanley.  These  thoughts  roused  remembrance  of 
Arthur's  quixotic  actions,  fleeing,  as  a  fugitive  accused 
of  a  crime,  to  save  another.  And  Blair  smiled  grimly 
at  the  thought  that  he  was  the  other. 

166 


Over  the  Hills  and  Far  Away  167 

"I  would  like  to  see  myself  be  such  a  fool!"  was 
Blair's  inward  comment.  He  had  always  hated 
his  debonaire  alleged  cousin,  although  he  had  always 
disguised  it,  but  now  his  hatred  for  the  fugitive 
was  mingled  with  contempt. 

The  hotel  at  which  Blair  had  been  stopping  was 
near  the  depot,  and  he  was  musing  ironically  in  this 
wise  and  proceeding  leisurely  toward  the  station  when 
he  was  aware  that  he  was  being  followed  by  a  hulking 
panhandler.  He  turned  and  faced  the  fellow. 

It  was  Luke  Lovell,  a  gipsy  that  Blair  had  seen  sev 
eral  times  in  and  around  Fairfax.  The  gipsy  regarded 
him  eagerly  and  touched  his  hat. 

"It's  a  surprise  to  meet  you  here,  Mr.  Stanley,"  said 
the  fellow.  "I  am  out  seeing  the  world,  I  am  not  a 
gipsy  any  more." 

"No,  you're  a  tramp  now,"  replied  Blair  contemptu 
ously. 

"I'll  admit  I  have  tramped,"  returned  Lovell  not  at 
all  abashed.  "But  I  have  tramped  to  some  good  pur 
pose.  I  have  tramped  a  couple  of  thousand  miles, 
believing  all  the  time  what  has  now  come  true — that 
I  would  meet  you ;  and  now  that  I  meet  you,  I  can  tell 
you  I  know  something  you'd  give  a  good  many  thou 
sand  dollars  to  hear — because  it  would  be  worth  money, 
and  more  than  money  to  you  if  you  knew  it!" 

Blair  regarded  the  gipsy  tramp  with  a  sneer.  "It  is 
funny,"  he  said,  "you  gipsies  can  tell  everybody's  for 
tune  but  your  own!" 

"Gipsies  sometimes  tell  their  own  fortunes,  too," 
retorted  Lovell.  Then  a  sudden  idea  seized  him. 
"What  a  fool  I  am  to  tramp  two  thousand  miles  to 


168  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

tell  you  what  I  know ! "  he  cried.  "Why,  if  I  told  you, 
you'd  take  advantage  of  it,  but  you'd  never  give  me  a 
cent.  The  secret  I  have  is  one  that  I  will  be  paid  to 
keep  and  not  to  tell!" 

And  laughing  sardonically  at  Blair's  amazement  and 
at  his  own  new-found  wisdom,  the  gipsy  turned  upon 
his  heel  and  swaggered  away. 

"It's  queer  what  booze  will  do  to  them,"  thought  the 
cynical  Blair.  "It's  a  wonder  he  didn't  try  to  borrow 
a  dollar  from  me;  I  believe  that's  the  price  the  gipsies 
ask  to  tell  a  man's  fortune.  They  tell  women's  for 
tunes  cheaper."  And  he  shrugged  his  shoulders  and 
forgot  the  incident  in  bitterly  musing  over  Vivian's 
desertion  of  him  and  wondering  how  his  mother  would 
treat  him  in  Richmond. 

But  while  her  erstwhile  husband  is  gloomily  jour 
neying  toward  Richmond,  the  vivacious  Vivian,  in 
stalled  luxuriously  at  the  best  hotel,  awaits  a  reply 
to  her  telegram  to  Mr.  Abraham  Bloom  that  she  is 
in  Los  Angeles,  and,  having  deserted  Blair  Stanley, 
hopes  to  find  some  trace  of  the  diamond.  Of  course, 
she  has  telegraphed  for  funds  to  Mr.  Bloom  as  well. 

In  due  time  she  receives  an  answering  message. 
Mr.  Bloom  gallantly  notifies  her  that  he  is  telegraph 
ing  her  five  hundred  dollars  and  that  he  expects  her 
to  stay  near  where  the  train  robbery  was  committed, 
and  endeavor  to  gain  word  some  way  of  the  great 
jewel,  now  outlaw  loot. 

In  Richmond  Mrs.  Stanley  still  maintains  her  at 
titude  of  kindly  interest  in  Esther,  and  Mrs.  Ran 
dolph  is  more  interested  than  ever  to  have  a  protegee 
of  Esther's  youth,  beauty  and  distinction  of  appear- 


Over  the  Hills  and  Far  Away  169 

ance.  So,  while  Hagar  is  placed  in  a  sanitarium  under 
the  best  of  care,  Esther  feels  that  she  has  at  last  found 
friends  in  her  loneliness,  and  she  keeps  up  heart  in  the 
hope  that  her  foster  mother  will  be  restored  to  reason 
and  that  Arthur  will  return  and  be  cleared  from  the 
suspicion  of  guilt  that  attaches  to  him  since  his  flight. 

But  Esther  little  dreams  that  the  habits  of  thought 
and  the  cold  ambition  of  a  lifetime  are  not  easily 
changed.  Blair  Stanley's  mother  in  her  austere  way 
has  been  kind  to  Esther,  it  is  true,  and  the  frivolous 
Mrs.  Randolph  is  kind  and  also  generous.  But  Mrs. 
Randolph  is  as  wax  in  the  hands  of  her  calculating 
relative,  and  Esther  but  a  factor  of  Blair's  mother's 
secret  purposes. 

The  one  real  friend,  then,  that  Esther  has  in  Rich 
mond  is  Quabba.  Both  he  and  Esther  have  realized 
it  will  not  do  for  the  humble  hunchback  organ  grinder 
to  be  seen  in  proximity  to  Mrs.  Randolph's  latest  pro 
tegee  "being  introduced  into  the  best  circles  of  Rich 
mond,"  as  that  social  light  of  the  old  Southern  capital 
would  have  phrased  it. 

But  every  day  at  a  certain  hour  Quabba  goes  by  the 
Randolph  house  up  the  quiet  side  street.  He  does  not 
pause  to  play  his  vulgar  tunes  in  such  hallowed  pre 
cincts.  He  slips  quietly  by,  yet  Esther  is  at  the  win 
dow  of  her  room  each  day  to  see  him  pass,  and  they 
have  arranged  a  signal  should  ever  Esther  need  this 
humble,  faithful  friend.  The  signal  is  a  vase  of  roses. 
When  this  is  placed  upon  the  window  sill  Quabba 
knows  it  is  a  sign  that  Esther  needs  him,  and  day  by 
day  he  passes  and  is  relieved  to  see  that  the  signal 
is  not  displayed,  and  all  is  well. 


170  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

Esther,  for  the  sake  of  Arthur,  has  carefully  hidden 
the  documents  that  she  found  in  Hagar's  strong 
box.  She  has  said  no  word  to  those  around  her 
that  would  indicate  she  deems  herself  to  be 
other  than  the  daughter  of  the  mentally  clouded 
gipsy  woman,  whom  the  surgeons  of  Richmond  hope 
to  restore  to  reason  as  soon  as  she  is  in  condition  to 
undergo  the  operation  that  will  be  necessary  to  effect 
this. 

Yet  though  she  now  well  knows  she  is  a  Stanley, 
of  Stanley  Hall,  this  does  not  lessen  her  affection  for 
the  afflicted  gipsy  woman  she  has  known  as  her  mother. 
Esther  does  not  even  attempt  to  judge  the  motives 
that  actuated  Hagar  Harding  in  revenge  for  having 
been  deprived  of  her  own  child,  who  was  reared  as 
heir  of  Stanley,  while  she,  Esther,  the  true  Stanley, 
though  a  girl  and  heir  to  no  great  title  beyond  the 
sea,  was  brought  up  in  the  tawdry  surroundings  of 
a  gipsy  camp. 

But  the  thought  that  she  is  a  Stanley,  of  Stanley 
Hall,  though  it  be  not  known  by  others  nor  acknowl 
edged,  brings  a  glow  of  pride  and  courage  to  Esther's 
heart  and  soul.  She  attributes  Mrs.  Stanley's  sudden 
and  substantial  kindness  to  her  to  the  fact  that  Mrs. 
Stanley  has  more  than  a  suspicion  of  who  she  rightly  is, 
yet  ever  she  and  Blair's  mother  tacitly  ignore  the  mat 
ter,  each  waiting,  perchance,  for  the  other  to  approach 
the  subject. 

Esther  only  knows  that  her  love  for  Arthur  is  greater 
than  her  pride  at  being  a  Stanley,  of  Stanley  Hall. 
She  would  rather  arm  her  heart  with  patience  and  let 
events  shape  themselves  as  a  happy  fate  may  decree. 


Over  the  Hills  and  Far  Away  171 

Her  dreams  and  hopes  are  all  to  one  end,  and  that 
is  that  Arthur  will  return,  all  clouds  of  suspicion  re 
moved,  and  take  his  place  as  heir  to  Stanley.  She 
does  not  know  how  to  reconcile  this  hope  and  dream 
with  Mrs.  Stanley's  attitude.  But  at  present  Mrs. 
Stanley's  attitude  is  kind  and  Esther  waits,  possessing 
her  soul  with  patience. 

Meanwhile,  in  converse  with  Detective  Blake,  Law 
yer  Smythe  states  his  opinion  of  Yankees  generally 
and  the  Yankee  Stanleys  in  particular. 

"I  can  say  conscientiously  that  I  do  not  believe  the 
climate  of  this  country  is  conducive  to  a  titled  aris 
tocracy.  Even  the  so-called  landed  gentry  are  a  queer 
lot,"  says  Lawyer  Smythe.  "When  I  was  here  nearly 
twenty  years  ago  to  verify  the  birth  of  the  Yankee  heir 
to  the  earldom,  I  was  in  danger  of  my  life,  I  assure 
you,  from  wild  beasts  and  the  even  wilder  natives.  I 
was  not  surprised  to  learn  of  how  they  ambushed 
each  other  with  tar  and  feathers  and  all  that  sort  of 
thing.  I  had  hardly  returned  to  England  when  I 
learned  of  Colonel  Stanley's  dropping  dead  and  Judge 
Stanley's  being  shot  or  tomahawked  in  the  mountains 
by  natives — whether  relatives  or  savage  redskins  or  a 
Blackamoor  tribe — nobody  will  ever  know. 

"For  my  part,"  the  lawyer  had  added,  "I  shall  make 
one  last  effort  to  find  the  heir  before  I  return  to  Eng 
land  and  look  after  the  estates,  and  if  this  young  Ar 
thur  Stanley  is  caught  and  hanged  for  murdering  Doc 
tor  Lee,  whom  I  remember  as  a  rather  decent  old  chap, 
why  the  next  of  kin,  who  is  also  a  ticket-of-leave  man 
or  something  of  that  sort,  can  come  over  and  claim  the 
earldom. 


172  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

"As  for  this  'Diamond  from  the  Sky/  so-called,  I 
have  seen  it;  but  I  believe  it  is  all  a  hoax,  so  far  as 
its  being  priceless.  I  believe  it  is  nothing  but  a  jolly 
old  bit  of  glass,  don't  you  know?  I  can't  conceive  why 
all  you  Yankees  should  be  all  so  deucedly  set  on  scalp 
ing  each  other  and  lynching  each  other  and  pistoling 
each  other  for  it! 

"If  I  am  annoyed  much  more,  I  shall  jolly  well  re 
turn  to  England,  and  search  the  family  archives  at 
Stanley  Castle,  with  the  hope  of  establishing  a  blood 
line  in  England,  who  may  get  the  House  of  Lords  to 
acknowledge  its  claim  to  the  earldom  and  cut  out  these 
bloodthirsty  Yankee  Stanleys  and  their  blooming  big 
diamond!" 

The  taciturn  Blake  smiles  at  this  outburst  by 
Smythe,  and  then  drops  a  few  cautious  words  into 
the  surprised  ear  of  the  English  lawyer.  The  puz 
zled  Smythe — a  slave  to  duty  for  all  his  protests — 
buys  a  ticket  for  far  California  and  prepares  to  journey 
there  to  seek  a  man  named  John  Powell,  who  as  Blake 
hints,  may  locate  for  the  lawyer  the  fugitive  heir  of  the 
Stanley  earldom — for  Blake  has  but  that  day  received 
a  letter  from  the  missing  man  so  signed — a  letter  in 
coherently  asking  for  Blake's  assistance  and  silence 
and  begging  for  news  of  Hagar  and  Esther. 

When  Blair  returned  to  Richmond,  his  mother 
greeted  him  with  remarkable  cordiality,  considering 
the  conditions  under  which  he  had  left  both  that  city 
and  Fairfax.  Mr.  Abe  Bloom,  the  gambling-house 
keeper,  and  his  brother,  Ike  Bloom,  the  pawnbroker, 
received  him  with  a  cold,  businesslike  indifference, 
which  was  rather  strange  when  it  was  remembered 


Over  the  Hills  and  Far  Away  173 

what  they  both  had  endured  at  the  hands  of  Blair. 
But  the  Blooms  were  so  obsessed  with  the  desire  to 
secure  the  Stanley  diamond  for  their  very  own  at 
any  cost,  that  they  had  casually  remarked  they  were 
glad  to  see  him  and  to  "let  bygones  be  bygones." 

Yet  Blair's  mother  spoke  all  her  bitter  mind  when 
she  informed  him  that  the  price  of  the  silence  of  the 
two  Mr.  Blooms  and  the  detective  was  that  the  dia 
mond  must  be  relinquished  to  the  Blooms  if  it  ever 
came  into  the  possession,  legally  or  otherwise,  of 
Blair  or  his  mother. 

Neither  Blair  nor  his  mother  understood  the  atti 
tude,  in  all  this,  of  Blake,  the  detective.  He  appeared 
to  have  no  scruples  one  way  or  the  other,  but  kept  his 
own  counsel  and  worked  diligently  and  silently  for  his 
clients  and  them  alone.  It  did  not  seem  to  occur  to 
the  detective,  at  least  he  gave  no  sign  that  it  did,  that 
he  was  compounding  a  felony  in  suppressing  the  evi 
dence  he  had  secured  which  undoubtedly  fastened  the 
guilt  of  Doctor  Lee's  murder  on  Blair. 

As  regards  Vivian,  Mrs.  Stanley  dismissed  her  from 
the  matter  by  simply  stating  to  Blair  that  Mr.  Abe 
Bloom  had  informed  her  that  the  vivacious  individual 
in  question  had  one,  if  not  several,  husbands,  prior  to 
her  marriage  to  Blair. 

"The  minister  who  married  you  to  that  creature 
has  moved  away  from  Richmond,"  said  Blair's  mother, 
in  discussing  this  distasteful  subject  to  Blair.  "There 
are  reasons  not  necessary  to  entrust  to  you  that  make 
it  desirable  you  should  marry  Esther  Harding,"  Mrs. 
Stanley  had  added. 

And  Blair  looked  upon  Esther  and  saw  that  she 


174  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

was  fair,  and  while  his  infatuation  for  Vivian  was 
still  strong,  his  unscrupulous  mind  dwelt  with  pleasure 
upon  the  thought  that  if  he  married  Esther  the  fact 
might  rouse  the  jealousy  of  Vivian.  If  Vivian  were 
a  married  woman,  married  other  than  to  him,  what 
would  it  matter  if  he  married  Esther?  It  might  bring 
Vivian  to  terms  as  nothing  else  would.  And,  com 
forting  himself  with  this  perverted  philosophy,  Blair 
paid  court  to  Esther. 

Such  were  the  threads  in  the  web  of  destiny  that 
were  being  woven  around  Esther  in  Richmond — 
threads  at  the  ends  of  which  sat  Abe  Bloom  and  Blair 
and  his  mother  weaving  like  spiders  and  yet  with  dif 
ferent  purposes  in  view.  Abe  Bloom  wove  for  the 
Stanley  diamond.  In  far  Los  Angeles  his  agent,  the 
luxurious  Vivian  Marston,  wove  also  for  the  diamond 
— but  for  herself.  Perhaps  Mr.  Bloom  surmised  this, 
but  if  so  he  deemed  he  had  the  means  that  held  his 
agent  at  his  mercy. 

Mrs.  Stanley  wove  her  web  for  some  deep  purpose 
of  her  own,  deeper  now  than  it  ever  had  been.  If  she 
suspicioned  Arthur's  claims  to  the  Stanley  heritages 
— the  Earldom  in  England  and  the  great  diamond  so 
strangely  missing,  in  America — were  null  and  void, 
she  said  no  word,  but  wove  her  part  of  the  web  in 
grim  purposeful  silence. 

Blair  thought  only  of  his  own  desires,  and  so  he 
wove  also. 

As  for  Detective  Tom  Blake,  he  helped  the  weaving, 
too,  but  whether  he  wove  for  Bloom  or  for  Blair  or 
for  Blair's  mother  or  for  himself,  only  Tom  Blake  knew 
and  he  did  not  deem  the  time  propitious  to  tell. 


Over  the  Hills  and  Far  Away          175 

In  the  far  West,  a  sheepherder  who  called  himself 
John  Powell  had  found  an  outlaws'  stolen  plunder  un 
der  the  skeleton  of  a  horse  in  the  desert.  Few  who 
knew  Arthur  Stanley,  the  reckless  young  master  of 
Stanley  Hall,  would  have  recognized  in  this  bronzed 
and  shabby  sheepherder  the  dashing  scapegrace  who 
had  fled  under  the  onus  of  suspicion  of  murder. 

But  when  John  Powell  thought  of  himself  as  Arthur 
Stanley,  his  cheeks  burned  with  shame  at  the  recol 
lection  of  all  the  years  he  had  squandered  a  heritage 
not  his.  He  was  a  gipsy  changeling  and  impostor. 
Back  in  Fairfax,  let  them  think  him  a  fugitive  mur 
derer,  if  they  chose.  He  would  bide  his  time  and  re 
turn  a  rich  man,  stand  his  trial  and,  without  impli 
cating  Blair,  be  cleared.  He  felt  an  added  shame  as 
he  thought  of  Blair.  Bad  as  Blair  was,  he,  John 
Powell,  Arthur  Stanley  that  had  been,  had  usurped  his 
place.  Blair  was  the  rightful  heir  of  Stanley.  He, 
as  John  Powell,  would  make  name  and  fortune  for  him 
self,  and  Blair,  all  in  good  time,  might  have  the  Stan 
ley  earldom  and  "The  Diamond  from  the  Sky"!  For 
the  thoughts  and  the  impulses  of  Arthur's  wild  na 
ture  were  generous. 

And  then  his  thoughts  would  turn  to  Esther  and 
Hagar.  In  his  constant  reflections  in  the  solitudes  of 
the  great  sheep  ranges,  his  heart  softened  as  he  thought 
of  Hagar.  She  had  wrought  bitterness  and  woe;  yet 
his  heart  yearned  toward  her,  for  now  he  realized  how 
she  had  partaken  of  the  sacrament  of  sacrifice  and 
suffering  through  many  bitter  years. 

As  John  Powell,  finder  of  the  treasure  trove,  he 
carefully  laid  out  his  plans.  He  hid  the  outlaw  loot 


176  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

beneath  some  sheltering  rocks  in  the  desert.  He  first 
took  but  five  hundred  dollars  of  the  money  and  he 
bided  his  time  in  patience  until  the  hue  and  cry  after 
such  of  the  train  robbers,  as  had  escaped,  had  died 
down.  He  resolved  he  would  relinquish  his  employ 
ment  as  an  ill-paid  sheepherder  in  the  next  month  and 
take  the  stolen  treasure  with  him  and  make  it  the 
capital  on  which  to  found  a  great  fortune  here  in  the 
bustling  West.  He  salved  his  conscience  with  the 
thought  that  when  he  had  built  up  John  Powell's  vast 
fortune,  he  would  return  the  stolen  money  to  the  ex 
press  company  anonymously. 

Meanwhile,  searching  now  for  Arthur  Stanley,  Luke 
Lovell  journeys  again.  He  cannot  travel  as  fortunates 
with  money  travel.  Luke  Lovell  returns  by  freight. 
But  in  the  desert  the  trainmen  throw  him  from  his 
place  on  the  bumpers  and  mock  him  as,  bruised  and 
sore,  he  rises  in  the  desert  dust  to  curse  them  as  the 
freight  train  bears  them  on. 

Down  the  endless  miles  of  railroad  track  across 
the  dusty  desert  he  staggers.  Blinded  by  the  sun, 
choking  and  burning  with  thirst,  and  half  delirious, 
he  stumbles  from  the  track  and  makes  his  way,  fe 
vered  with  delirium,  across  the  endless  desert. 

Then  by  a  low-growing  mass  of  cacti  something 
gleams  before  his  aching  eyes,  gleams  and  dazzles 
him.  Is  it  a  vagary  of  his  thirst  madness,  or  is  it 
again  "The  Diamond  from  the  Sky,"  a  fortune  within 
his  grasp?  He  lurches  forward  and  snatches  up  the 
diamond  from  where  the  train  robber  in  his  death 
agony  had  cast  it. 

But  just  as  Luke's  grimy  hand  closes  upon  the  great 


Over  the  Hills  and  Far  Away  177 

jewel,  a  brown  lance  strikes  him.  In  the  ringing  of 
the  fever  in  his  brain  he  has  not  heard  the  warning 
rattle  of  Death  guarding  the  diamond.  But  even  in 
his  delirium  Luke  Lovell  knows  now  the  thrust  of  the 
brown  lance.  A  rattlesnake  has  bitten  him ! 

With  a  hoarse  scream  of  despair  he  convulsively 
throws  up  his  hands.  The  diamond  flies  from  his 
nerveless  grasp  and  settles  again  in  the  dust  of  the 
desert  twenty  feet  away,  and  Luke  Lovell  pitches  for 
ward  on  his  face  in  his  agony,  giving  himself  up  as 
dead. 

So,  half-unconscious,  John  Powell,  sheepherder,  finds 
him,  and  so  John  Powell  bears  him  to  his  lonely  camp 
fire  and  succors  and  restores  him.  Lovell  is  able  to 
moan  his  plight.  Fortunately  the  sheepherder  has 
both  whiskey  and  water.  He  doses  the  half-uncon 
scious  Luke,  and,  whether  the  whiskey  or  whether  the 
sturdy  constitution  of  the  gipsy  is  to  be  credited, 
Luke  is  brought  back  from  the  jaws  of  death. 

It  is  a  strange  fate,  the  gipsy  thinks,  when  he  can 
think  coherently,  that  it  has  been  his  recent  destiny 
to  meet  both  the  real  and  the  usurping  heir  of  Stan 
ley  and  to  clutch  again  the  priceless  Stanley  heir 
loom,  "The  Diamond  from  the  Sky."  He  laughs  sar 
donically  as  he  tells  Arthur  that  just  a  few  days  since 
he  has  met  up  with  Blair  in  Los  Angeles. 

"I  don't  know  what  he  had  run  away  from  Vir 
ginia  for,"  growled  Luke,  "but  whatever  it  was,  it  has 
been  squared;  for  I  found  out  he  was  going  back  to 
Richmond.  But  now  that  you  have  saved  my  life  in 
this  God-forsaken  desert,  I'll  do  you  a  favor — a  big 
favor.  I  know  something  that  the  other  Stanleys 


178  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

would  trade  all  they  have  to  know.  What  will  you 
give  me  if  I  don't  tell  them  what  I  know?  You 
didn't  kill  that  old  doctor — and  I  know  who  you  really 
are.  What  will  you  give  me  to  keep  my  mouth  shut?" 

John  Powell,  once  Arthur  Stanley,  regards  the 
wretch,  who  thus  requites  him,  with  cold  scorn.  He 
knows  what  Luke  would  tell  him.  But  just  at  this 
tune  he  desires  the  silence  of  the  treacherous  and  un 
grateful  gipsy. 

"I  have  five  hundred  dollars,"  is  his  reply.  "I  never 
desire  to  be  known  again  as  Arthur  Stanley.  But  I 
have  reasons  why  I  do  not  wish  the  secret  you  seem 
to  possess  to  be  spread  broadcast.  You  are  all  right 
now,  take  this  money  and  go  to  the  devil  with  it! 
But  whether  I  killed  Doctor  Lee  or  not,  I  will  kill  you 
if  you  ever  say  one  word  of  what  you  know  or  think 
you  know!  One  thing  more,  who  told  you?" 

"Hagar  Harding,"  lied  Luke  Lovell  glibly.  Then, 
seeing  an  incredulous  look  in  the  other's  eyes,  he  added 
surlily:  "Hagar's  gone  daffy,  that's  why  she  told  me. 
But  she  don't  talk  to  anybody  now,  and  I  know  she 
didn't  tell  anybody  else.  They  would  only  think  she 
was  raving  if  she  did.  Mrs.  Stanley  has  taken  her  to 
Richmond  to  an  asylum.  Mrs.  Stanley  has  Esther 
with  her.  They  are  at  Mrs.  Randolph's,  where  the 
ball  was,"  added  Luke. 

John  Powell  sighed  to  hear  this  of  his  mother — 
but  all  is  well  with  Esther,  at  least,  he  thinks — for  he 
has  not  yet  heard  from  Blake.  He  does  not  question 
Lovell  further,  realizing  if  Lovell  knew  anything  con 
cerning  Esther,  the  gipsy  would  have  blurted  it  out. 

And  so  Luke  Lovell,  gipsy  blackmailer,  and  John 


Over  the  Hills  and  Far  Away  179 

Powell,  sheepherder,  part.  But  as  the  gipsy  goes  across 
the  desert  to  the  nearest  town  and  railroad  station,  he 
searches,  ever  searches  for  "The  Diamond  from  the 
Sky."  He  has  not  told  John  Powell  of  the  diamond; 
even  now  he  half  believes  that  it  has  been  but  a  fig 
ment  of  his  thirst-maddened,  heat-crazed  brain. 

Some  miles  distant  across  the  arid  plain  travels  a 
desert  Indian  family.  They  have  two  horses.  One 
the  buck  rides  at  his  ease,  and  the  other  drags  a  tra- 
vois — the  two  rude  poles  fastened  to  the  horse  and  the 
ends  of  which  drag  across  the  desert.  Lashed  to  the 
poles  are  the  Indian's  goods  and  chattels.  Beside  the 
travois  trudges  the  squaw.  On  her  back  her  papoose 
sleeps,  strapped  to  its  board,  in  the  sun. 

Across  the  desert  the  travois  scratches  its  way.  The 
eyes  of  the  squaw  fall  upon  the  fresh  tracks  that  it 
makes.  A  little  spray  of  the  desert  sand  it  scatters, 
sprinkles  over  something  that  glistens  brightly  in  the 
sun.  The  squaw  stoops  down  and  gathers  up  "The 
Diamond  from  the  Sky,"  and  wakes  her  papoose  to 
shake  the  new-found  gleaming  plaything  before  his 
beady  eyes! 

So  the  days  pass  in  Virginia  and  California  alike. 
John  Powell  ceases  to  be  a  sheepherder  and,  taking 
with  him  nearly  a  hundred  thousand  dollars  in  his 
battered  old  valise,  unknown  to  any  man,  he  bids  good 
bye  to  his  friends  at  the  sheep  ranch.  Pausing  only 
in  Los  Angeles  to  buy  a  becoming  outfit  of  business 
clothes,  he  goes  to  the  adjacent  oil  fields  to,  as  he  says 
to  himself  grimly,  buy  himself  rich! 

He  writes  to  Esther  guardedly  and  without  signature 
from  Los  Angeles.  The  letter  reaches  Esther,  thanks 


180  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

to  Mrs.  Randolph's  maid  who  gives  it  to  her,  inform 
ing  her  that  Mrs.  Stanley  has  issued  orders  that  if  any 
mail  should  come  to  Esther  it  should  be  delivered  to 
Mrs.  Stanley  first. 

Esther  has  other  sorrows  now,  sorrows  in  plenty. 
The  persecutions  of  Blair  Stanley  have  become  intol 
erable;  and  when  Esther  has  gone,  first  to  ask  aid  and 
later  to  protest  defiantly  to  Blair's  mother,  Mrs.  Stan 
ley  has  taunted  her  with  the  cruel  and  surprising  re 
tort  that  she,  Esther,  is  a  beggar  on  the  bounty  of 
the  mother  of  the  man  who  honors  her  with  an  offer 
of  marriage! 

Further,  Mrs.  Stanley  icily  reminds  Esther  that 
since  Hagar  has  lost  her  reason,  no  trace  of  the  sup 
posed  wealth  of  the  gipsy  woman  can  be  found.  The 
operation  necessary  to  restore  Hagar's  mind  will  cost 
a  thousand  dollars.  If  Esther  accepts  Blair,  Mrs.  Stan 
ley  informs  her,  this  money  will  be  forthcoming  and 
the  operation  will  be  performed. 

It  is  on  the  point  of  Esther's  tongue  to  speak  and 
declare  herself  for  what  she  is,  the  legitimate  daugh 
ter  of  the  late  Colonel  Stanley  and  the  heir  at  least 
to  the  depleted  estate  of  Stanley  Hall.  But  she 
counsels  herself  to  the  wisdom  of  silence.  For  Ar 
thur  Stanley's  sake — though  in  truth  he  is  not  Arthur 
Stanley  but  Hagar  Harding's  son — Esther  keeps  silent 
concerning  what  she  knows  of  her  true  status  and  the 
written  proofs  in  her  dead  father's  handwriting  that 
she  has  securely  hidden.  At  their  final  discussion  of 
Blair's  conduct,  Esther  bowed  coldly  to  Blair's  mother 
and  walked  away  with  head  erect,  compressing  her  lips 


Over  the  Hills  and  Far  Away  181 

lest  she  might  blurt  out  the  whole  truth  in  defence  and 
defiance. 

Safe  in  her  room  she  impulsively  resolves  to  seek 
out  Arthur  and  tell  him  all.  She  takes  the  vase  of 
roses  and  places  them  on  the  window  sill. 

That  night  Quabba  waits,  shaded  from  the  moon 
by  the  wistaria  vine,  at  the  side  of  the  Randolph  man 
sion. 

That  night  a  girlish  figure  clambers  resolutely  from 
the  window  and  down  the  vines,  and  Esther  Stanley 
is  gone  with  a  hunchback  organ  grinder.  Seeking  the 
one  she  loves  with  all  her  devoted  heart — over  the 
hills  and  far  away! 


CHAPTER   XII 
TO  THE  HIGHEST  BIDDER 

IT  was  perhaps  vanity,  and  a  natural  one,  that  in 
spired  Arthur's  resolve  to  return  to  Virginia  rich 
in  his  own  right  and  clear  himself  of  all  suspicion, 
yet  sparing  Blair  from  the  consequences  of  being 
responsible  for  the  death  of  Doctor  Lee.  For  Blair  had 
assured  him  this  had  been  the  effect  of  sudden  excite 
ment  on  an  old  man's  weakened  heart,  when  Blah* 
had  questioned  Doctor  Lee's  possession  of  the  Stanley 
heirloom. 

But  Arthur's  first  thought  was  to  employ  a  portion 
of  the  robber  plunder  to  aid  Esther  and  his  gipsy 
mother;  then  he  will  save  Stanley  Hall,  the  proud  old 
place  his  prodigality  has  imperilled. 

Already  he  is  arranging  to  employ  as  his  trusted 
agent  in  these  matters  the  taciturn  Tom  Blake,  the 
Richmond  detective.  Arthur  had  vividly  recalled  how 
at  a  look  from  Hagar,  Blake  had  deftly  aided  him  in 
escaping  from  the  sheriff  of  Fairfax  and  the  police 
of  Richmond  in  the  exciting  encounter  at  Mrs.  Ran 
dolph's  ball.  If  Blake  had  his  mother's  confidence  he 
must  be  worthy  of  all  trust. 

Upon  reaching  Los  Angeles  with  the  outlaw  loot, 
the  first  thing  Arthur  had  done,  then,  was  to  wire  the 

182 


To  the  Highest  Bidder  183 

Richmond  detective  in  a  guarded  message.     He  re 
ceived  a  reply  in  a  few  hours,  which  read: 

"Know  you  are  all  right.    Will  act  for  you  in  confidence. 
Trast  me  fully." 

Then  it  was  that  Arthur  wired  ample  funds  with 
instructions  to  Blake  to  guarantee  secretly  all  ex 
penses  for  Hagar's  treatment  at  the  sanitarium,  ir 
respective  of  what  Mrs.  Stanley  might  do. 

From  Blake  meanwhile  he  had  learned  confirmation 
of  Luke  Lovell's  news,  that  Esther  was  seemingly  in 
good  hands  with  Mrs.  Stanley  at  Mrs.  Randolph's 
mansion  in  Richmond,  and  from  the  same  source  he 
learned  that  Stanley  Hall,  in  the  due  course  of  the 
bankruptcy  proceedings  against  the  missing  Arthur 
Stanley,  was  to  be  sold  to  the  highest  bidder. 

He  could  save  Stanley  Hall  from  strangers,  and 
aid  Esther  and  his  gipsy  mother,  both  penniless  and 
on  the  bounty  of  strangers;  for  Hagar  in  her  mental 
infirmity  from  the  blow  that  none  knew  Blair  had 
dealt  her,  had  no  means  of  telling  where  her  supposed 
wealth  was  hidden. 

An  awakening  to  higher  ideafs  had  come  to  Arthur, 
and  many  of  his  reflections  were  bitter  ones.  His  use 
of  the  stolen  plunder  even  temporarily,  was  not  the 
honest  thing  to  do,  he  knew.  Yet  he  hoped  good 
might  come  out  of  evil,  and  resolved  to  make  every 
effort  to  found  his  own  fortune  and  refund  with  in 
terest  the  outlaw  loot,  as  well  as  Esther's  heritage 
which  he  had  dissipated. 

While  Arthur  planned  and  hoped,  Esther's  prayers 
were  ever  of  him.  The  impulses  of  her  fair  young 


184  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

womanhood  were  more  than  generous,  they  were  lov 
ing  and  self-sacrificing.  She  knew  she  was  rightful 
heir  of  Stanley  Hall,  and  though  by  accident  of  sex, 
neither  "The  Diamond  from  the  Sky"  nor  titled  hon 
ors  abroad  could  come  to  her,  yet,  for  the  sake  of  a 
gipsy  and  a  gipsy's  son  she  loved,  she  would  keep 
silent. 

So,  hi  her  flight  with  Quabba,  Esther's  impulses, 
loving  and  self-sacrificing,  led  her  first  to  Hagar. 

Outside  the  sanitarium  she  handed  Quabba  the  gipsy 
head-dress  she  had  donned  for  her  flight,  and  while 
the  hunchback  lurked  at  a  distance,  she  rang  the 
bell  at  the  door  of  the  sanitarium  and  had  been  ad 
mitted. 

"I  am  called  suddenly  from  Richmond,"  Esther  ex 
plained  to  the  house  surgeon.  "You  will  pardon  the 
lateness  of  my  call,  but  I  want  to  see  my  mother  ere 
I  leave  the  city." 

"Under  ordinary  circumstances,  Miss  Harding,"  said 
the  house  surgeon,  "I  could  not  let  you  see  a  patient 
at  this  hour.  But  I  have  good  news  for  you.  Your 
mother  shows  signs  of  improvement,  and  if  you  do 
not  excite  her  it  may  do  no  harm  to  let  you  see  her. 
I  can  also  let  out  a  hope,  mind  I  do  not  promise  this, 
that  in  time — with  rest  and  quiet — she  will  completely 
recover;  an  operation  may  not  be  necessary." 

So  kind  was  his  manner,  so  cheering  his  words,  that 
Esther  could  no  longer  restrain  herself.  She  briefly 
told  the  surgeon  that  conditions  were  such  she  was 
compelled  to  remove  herself  from  being  under  fur 
ther  obligations  to  Mrs.  Stanley  and  the  latter's  rela 
tive,  the  more  kindly  Mrs.  Randolph. 


To  the  Highest  Bidder  185 

"I  am  going  to  seek  a  friend/'  said  Esther,  "a  friend 
who  has  every  reason  to  assume  responsibility  for  all 
charges  the  treatment  of  my  mother  incurs.  I  also 
pledge  myself  personally  to  this.  Will  you  see,  even 
if  Mrs.  Stanley  withdraws  her  aid,  that  my  mother  is 
not  taken  from  here,  that  she  will  continue  to  re 
ceive  the  benefit  of  the  treatment,  which  will,  as  you 
believe  and  I  truly  hope,  restore  her  reason?" 

The  house-surgeon  regarded  Esther  with  a  look  of 
earnest  sympathy. 

"Set  your  mind  at  ease,  Miss  Harding,"  he  replied 
cordially.  "An  unknown  friend,  and  I  am  not  at  lib 
erty  to  give  even  the  name  of  the  agent  of  this  un 
known  friend,  has  guaranteed  all  financial  responsi 
bility  for  your  mother's  expenses  and  treatment  here. 
I  am  authorized  to  return  to  Mrs.  Stanley  what  she 
has  paid  out  for  your  mother.  Besides  this,  were  it 
otherwise,  the  case  is  so  interesting  and  has  responded 
so  well  to  treatment  without  operation,  that  we  would 
be  inclined  to  consider  it  worthy  of  our  attention  with 
out  recompense." 

It  was  with  a  glad  heart  Esther  received  this  cheer 
ing  information  and  noted  a  gleam  of  recognition  in 
those  poor  eyes  of  Hagar,  eyes  so  long  vacant  and  in 
expressive. 

"Yes,  dear,"  Hagar  had  murmured,  when  Esther 
had  folded  her  in  her  arms,  "I  know  who  you  are,  but 
I  just  cannot  remember  now.  Maybe  to-morrow  I  will 
remember.  They  took  my  boy  away,  they  put  a  great 
jewel  on  his  breast,  I  remember  that.  Then  I  remem 
ber  you  came  and  were  my  baby  in  his  place.  I  will 
remember  to-morrow.  I  am  tired  now,  but  kiss  me, 


186  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

dear  child,  for  I  see  by  your  eyes  you  love  me;  yes, 
I  will  remember  to-morrow  who  you  are." 

"She  will  not  remember  to-morrow,"  whispered  the 
kindly  house  surgeon,  as  he  led  the  weeping  Esther 
away.  "It  may  be  many  months  before  she  remem 
bers.  Her  recovery  will  be  slow,  but  I  feel  that  I  can 
assure  you  that  in  the  end  it  will  be  complete." 

It  was  with  a  hopeful  heart  and  feeling  resolute 
for  her  adventuring  in  search  of  Arthur,  that  Esther 
bid  adieu  to  the  kindly  head  of  the  sanitarium 
and  rejoined  Quabba,  who  with  his  own  personal  at 
tendant,  Clarence,  the  monkey,  waited  for  her  in  the 
shadows  up  the  quiet  street.  So,  trudging  side  by 
side,  the  girl  and  the  hunchback,  the  latter  carrying 
besides  the  monkey  a  small  bundle  of  Esther's  hastily 
packed  belongings,  took  their  way  from  city  streets 
to  country  lanes,  while  on  them  gleamed  the  light  of 
myriads  of  diamonds  in  the  sky! 

In  the  sudden  journey  taken  to  Richmond  and  in 
the  events  that  followed  after  Hagar  had  been  placed 
in  the  sanitarium  and  Blair  had  returned  to  persecute 
her,  Esther  had  taken  no  heed  of  the  conditions  that  so 
vitally  affected  Stanley  Hall.  Hagar  had  leased  it, 
but  the  property,  ruined  by  Arthur's  profligacy,  was  to 
be  sold  in  bankruptcy  proceedings  without  Esther 
being  aware  that  this  impended.  The  morning  fol 
lowing  her  flight,  however,  Mrs.  Stanley  received  from 
Fairfax  a  letter  from  the  referee  in  bankruptcy  in 
forming  her,  as  a  party  concerned,  of  the  scheduled 
sale  of  Stanley  Hall  within  a  few  days. 

Lawyer  Smythe,  representing  the  English  Stanleys, 
also  received  a  like  notice  as  he  was  on  the  point 


To  the  Highest  Bidder  187 

of  departing  for  the  West,  disgusted  with  America 
in  general  and  the  erratic  Yankee  Stanleys  in 
particular.  Smythe  deemed  his  duty  called  him  to  the 
sale  and  he  arranged  to  be  there. 

Meanwhile,  at  the  Randolph  mansion  Esther's 
flight  was  known.  The  maid  reported  that  the  room 
was  in  disorder,  and  that  Esther  was  gone.  Mrs.  Ran 
dolph  promptly  had  an  attack  of  nerves  while  Blair 
raged  and  fumed.  Mrs.  Stanley  alone  remained  cool 
in  the  face  of  this  surprising  news. 

"She  has  no  friends  and  no  money,"  said  Mrs.  Stan 
ley  calmly,  "she  will  not  go  far.  We  will  find  her 
back  here  or  with  her  gipsy  friends  before  long,  I 
dare  say." 

"The  next  thing  we  must  do,"  Mrs.  Stanley  had 
counselled  Blair,  "is  to  run  down  to  Fairfax  for  this 
sale  of  Stanley  Hall.  I  know  of  no  one  in  Fairfax 
with  the  means  or  desire  to  purchase  the  place.  If 
your  father  could  have  only  lived  to  see  the  day  he 
could  have  bought  in  the  home  of  his  enemy,  at  a 
bankrupt  sale,  he  would  have  been  a  happy  man.  The 
place  will  go  for  a  song  and  I  shall  buy  it." 

When  they  arrived  at  Fairfax  they  beheld  the  whole 
countryside  turned  out  at  the  auction  sale  of  Stanley 
Hall.  The  elder  aristocrats  came  to  sigh  over  the  van 
ishing  glory  of  the  old  regime;  but  to  the  poor  whites 
and  the  careless  colored  population  it  was  a  fete  day 
and  a  free  picnic.  Dog  fights  and  the  presence  of  the 
eccentric  English  lawyer,  Marmaduke  Smythe,  en 
livened  the  proceedings. 

As  no  purchaser  of  the  whole  had  come  forward,  the 
auctioneer  was  prepared  to  sell  the  historic  and  proud 


188  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

old  place  and  all  the  fine,  old  furnishings  it  con 
tained,  in  separate  lots.  Pictures,  ornaments,  rugs  had 
been  brought  out  upon  the  broad  piazza  to  make  the 
auctioneer's  work  the  easier. 

Among  all  these  furnishings  and  chattels,  nothing 
so  took  the  eye  of  Smythe  as  a  fine  mounted  deer 
head  that  he  was  informed  had  been  at  Stanley  Hall 
for  over  a  century.  In  fact  none  knew  how  old  it 
was. 

To  the  lawyer,  soon  to  return  to  insular  England 
from  what  he  deemed  the  wilds  of  America,  nothing 
appealed  so  much  as  this.  He  resolved  to  purchase  the 
deer  head  and  take  it  to  England  as  a  trophy  of  good 
hunting  in  "the  jungles  of  Virginia." 

At  his  request  it  was  put  up  as  first  thing  to  be 
sold,  and  he  bought  it.  The  jokes  and  mockery  of  the 
crowd  nettled  the  eccentric  lawyer  beyond  endurance, 
and  so,  taking  his  purchase,  he  mounted  his  horse  and 
awkwardly  bore  it  away. 

He  had  hardly  gone  when  Detective  Blake  arrived, 
having  driven  over  from  the  Fairfax  depot,  followed  in 
another  station  carriage  by  Blair  Stanley  and  his 
mother  and  the  agitated  Mrs.  Randolph. 

Blake  asked  that  the  house  and  the  furnishings  be 
offered  as  a  whole,  and  tendered  an  opening  bid  of 
two  thousand  dollars. 

Mrs.  Stanley  drew  her  thin  lips  together  and  Blair 
nervously  lashed  himself  to  a  suppressed  and  mur 
derous  anger.  The  Stanleys  had  not  expected  competi 
tive  bidding.  Blake  admitted  acting  for  an  unnamed 
client. 

Neither  Blair  nor  his  mother  dared  openly  affront 


To  the  Highest  Bidder  189 

the  interloper,  as  they  deemed  him.  But  they  bid 
desperately  to  the  limit  of  their  resources  only  to  see 
Stanley  Hall  and  all  its  furnishings,  save  the  deer 
head  already  purchased  by  the  English  lawyer,  go 
for  twenty  thousand  dollars  to  Thomas  Blake,  the  im 
perturbable  agent  of  the  unknown  highest  bidder. 

They  dared  not  vent  their  cold  anger  upon  the  smil 
ing  and  inscrutable  Blake,  but  Mrs.  Stanley  turned 
with  a  torrent  of  bitter,  contemptuous  jibes  upon  poor 
Mrs.  Randolph,  who  happened  to  remark  that  her 
poor  nerves  were  shattered  and  that  she  wanted  to 
faint.  In  consequence,  Blair  and  his  mother  went  to 
their  house  in  Fairfax  and  did  not  return  with  Mrs. 
Randolph  to  Richmond. 

Esther  reached  the  gipsy  rendezvous  worn  and  ex 
hausted,  not  knowing  of  the  sale  of  Stanley  Hall. 
The  gipsies  received  her  with  wild  delight,  but  she 
only  stayed  with  these  sincere  though  humble  friends 
long  enough  to  make  another  unavailing  search  for 
Hagar's  missing  hoard. 

Meanwhile,  what  of  "The  Diamond  from  the  Sky"? 

It  gleams  upon  the  breast  of  a  papoose  nursed  by 
its  stolid  mother,  i  i  the  glare  of  the  California  sun 
shine,  outside  an  adobe  hut. 

Luke  Lovell,  it  is  fated,  is  to  see  and  gain  it  again. 
He  has  taken  up  with  associates  as  bad  as  himself, 
and  has  become  a  "bootlegger"  or  illicit  whiskey  ped 
dler.  So  it  is,  with  a  companion  of  his  own  ilk,  he 
passes  by  the  desert  Indian's  hut  and  sees  the  diamond 
the  squaw  has  found,  gleaming  in  the  sunshine,  a 
papoose's  playthh  g.  It  is  only  a  bit  of  glass  and 
tinsel  in  the  mind  of  the  sodden,  drink-craving  Indian 


190  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

father;  and  so,  despite  the  angry  protests  of  the  squaw, 
the  glistening  ornament  is  bartered  for  the  vile  whiskey 
of  the  eager  white  man. 

And  so  the  heirloom  of  the  Stanleys  moves  on  again. 

Santa  Barbara  on  the  sea  coast,  resort  for  rich  tour 
ists,  is  not  far  away,  and  thither  Luke  Lovell  and  his 
crony  bear  it,  seeking  a  purchaser  able  to  buy  this 
gem  of  price. 


With  Arthur  Stanley  that  was,  who  is  John  Powell 
now,  how  fares  it?  How  have  his  fortunes,  fortunes 
to  be  founded  on  stolen  means,  prospered? 

Not  well. 

Arthur  has  fallen  into  the  hands  of  oil  sharks,  and 
has  invested  all  he  has  left  of  the  outlaw  plunder  in 
The  Good  Hope  Wells.  The  Good  Hope  Wells  have 
been  a  joke  of  these  oil  fields.  But  who  is  to  warn 
a  guileless,  young  investor? 

John  Powell  has  played  with  high  stakes  in  a 
crooked  game  and  has  lost.  His  men,  who  laughed  at 
him  behind  his  back  for  his  simplicity,  now  feel  pity 
for  him.  Jack  Wilson,  his  foreman,  seeks  his  despair 
ing  young  employer  and  finds  him  in  the  shanty  that 
is  the  office  of  the  Good  Hope  Wells. 

"I  am  sorry,  boss,"  says  Jack,  "but  I'll  tell  you  some 
thing.  There  is  oil  in  the  Good  Hope.  We've  struck 
every  indication.  If  you  only  had  money  to  drill 
deeper,  the  oil  is  there.  That  money  you  sent  East 
would  save  you!" 

"It's  too  late  now,  Jack,  that  money  saved  some 
thing  more  to  me  than  these  wells." 


To  the  Highest  Bidder  191 

"I'm  from  Pennsylvania,"  says  Wilson.  "I  believe 
if  we  torpedoed  our  well,  as  is  done  in  Pennsylvania, 
we'd  start  the  oil.  I  know  it  ruins  a  California  well, 
if  they  torpedo  and  the  oil  doesn't  start,  and  already 
the  shysters  are  coming  to  take  the  property  away 
from  you  because  we  haven't  yet  struck  oil,  and  the 
last  payment  is  due.  So  let's  do  something  desperate, 
boss,  let's  torpedo  the  Good  Hope  Well!" 

John  Powell  is  desperate  and  he  agrees.  The  man 
of  law  representing  the  unpaid  owners,  hears  of  the 
plan  and  arrives  with  an  injunction.  But  the  des 
perate  John  Powell  defies  law,  as,  when  he  was  known 
as  Arthur  Stanley,  he  defied  all  order. 

The  lawyer  is  held  back  waving  the  "scrap  of 
paper,"  the  injunction.  The  nitro-glycerine-charged 
torpedo  is  lowered  to  the  bottom  of  the  well,  the  heavy 
iron  detonator  is  dropped,  and  all  run  for  their  lives. 

A  throb  shakes  the  earth  and  the  derrick  rocks. 
Then  arises  a  geyser  of  mud  and  a  spuming  fountain 
of  roaring  oil  and  gas! 

The  big  Good  Hope  Well  has  come  in  a  gusher. 
John  Powell  is  a  millionaire. 

No  such  gusher  had  ever  been  known  in  those  fields 
as  the  long  dry  and  long  despised  Good  Hope  became, 
no  oil  millionaire  secured  his  millions  more  quickly 
than  popular,  young  John  Powell  did,  in  consequence. 

His  associates  give  him  "the  swellest  banquet  with 
cabaret  trimmings,"  that  Los  Angeles'  leading  and 
gayest  restaurant  had  ever  known. 

Vivian  Marston  dines  with  an  elderly  admirer  at 
this  same  restaurant  the  night  of  the  banquet  and,  as 
John  Powell's  associates  toast  and  praise  him  for  the 


192  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

pluck  and  resolution  that  snatched  victory  from  de 
feat,  Vivian's  dark  eyes  are  ever  on  the  young  and 
handsome  oil  magnate.  Her  elderly  admirer  test 
ily  endures  the  pangs  of  jealousy.  But  it  is  not  love 
or  sudden  infatuation  that  draws  the  dark  eyes  of 
Vivian  Marston  to  the  young  millionaire  at  the  head 
of  his  festal  board.  Vivian  remembers  where  and 
how  she  has  seen  this  lauded  young  favorite  of  for 
tune  before! 

John  Powell's  secretary  enters  deferentially  with  a 
telegram,  when  the  banquet  is  at  its  height.  It  is  a 
telegram  that  has  come  to  the  offices  of  the  Good  Hope 
Oil  Company,  and  the  secretary,  believing  it  impor 
tant,  brings  it  to  the  feast. 

Arthur  opens  it  and  reads: 

Esther  Harding  departed  parts  unknown.  Hagar  Hard 
ing  better.  Bought  in  Stanley  Hall  for  twenty  thousand 
dollars  you  sent.  Will  keep  everything  quiet. 

(Signed)   BLAKE. 

Esther  departed  for  parts  unknown !  Arthur  crushes 
the  telegram  in  his  nervous  grasp.  Mechanically  he 
hears  the  friends  that  honor  "John  Powell"  chant 
jovially:  "For  he's  a  jolly  good  fellow!" 

As  one  half  dazed  till  the  end  of  the  feast,  he  rises 
and  departs  with  his  happy,  felicitating  associates,  and 
he  is  scarcely  aware  of  the  dark  eyes  of  a  luxurious 
woman  directed  searchingly  upon  him.  He  bows  as 
he  passes,  but  he  has  no  recollection  of  who  this  bold 
and  beautiful  woman  who  smiles  at  him  may  be. 


To  the  Highest  Bidder  193 

Walled  by  the  green  high  hills  and  the  gray  and 
higher  mountains  at  its  back,  beautiful  Santa  Bar 
bara  slopes  down  to  the  sea.  The  fronds  of  stately 
palms  wave  in  the  mild  evening  air.  The  vivid  scarlet 
of  the  flowers  and  the  emerald  green  of  fair  lawns 
beautify  the  scene  below.  Fair  as  the  gardens  of 
the  Lord  seems  the  scene  to  the  desert-burned  eyes 
of  Luke  Lovell  and  his  fellow  bootlegger,  as  they  stand 
upon  the  hill  near  the  old  Mission  and  gaze  upon  a 
panorama  as  of  paradise  below  them. 

Far  off  at  anchor  on  the  sapphire  waters  of  the  bay, 
a  great  white  yacht  rides  like  a  swan  upon  the  tide. 

"A  guy  rich  enough  to  own  a  skiff  like  that  can 
afford  to  buy  the  diamond  from  us,"  growls  Luke 
Lovell. 

And  in  the  oncoming  dusk  they  plod  down  the  hill. 

That  night  they  untie  a  rowboat  at  the  water's  edge 
and  Luke  Lovell  pulls  upon  the  oars  to  bear  them  out 
to  a  purchaser  for  the  great  jewel  that  they  bring. 

But  the  evil  men  do  who  fall  beneath  this  diamond's 
baleful  spell  is  not  yet  at  end.  Luke's  companion 
rises  stealthily  behind  him  and  strikes  him  down. 
There  is  a  hoarse  cry  in  the  night,  a  death  struggle 
on  the  water.  The  boat  goes  over,  a  drowning  man 
gasps  in  agony  and  "The  Diamond  from  the  Sky"  is 
sinking  in  the  deep,  cold  waters  of  the  bay! 


CHAPTER  XIII 

THE  MAN  IN  THE  MASK 

UNDER  the  moon  and  with  the  boom  of  the 
surf  falling  dully  on  his  ears,  spent,  panting, 
chilled  to  the  bone,  for  here  the  cold  Pacific 
has  no  tempering  influence  of  a  Gulf  Stream, 
Luke  Lovell  drew  his  dripping,  heaving  bulk  up  on 
the  sand  and  for  a  few  anguished,  aching  moments 
felt  all  the  qualms  of  death,  ere  yet  comes  the  dulling 
peacefulness  of  dissolution. 

Vaguely  he  heard  the  ringing  of  death  bells  in  his 
ears.  Vaguely  above  the  painful  spasms  of  a  breast 
that  seemingly  was  bursting  in  the  agony  that  at 
tends  him  who  approaches  death  and  returns  again, 
Luke  Lovell  heard  far  off  the  shouts  of  men  and  the 
reverberations  of  hurried  footsteps  along  the  wooden 
causeway  of  the  dock. 

For  a  few  brief  moments  of  anguish,  torture  and 
fatigue,  the  reckless  gipsy  crawling  up  from  the  sea 
is  spurred  on  subconsciously,  not  by  desire  to  live, 
but  by  the  instinct  of  self-preservation  alone,  caring 
little  in  the  dull  functions  of  his  mind  whether  he 
lives  or  dies. 

But  with  returning  breath  and  life  comes  fear.  Lov 
ell  knew  that  in  the  murk  waters  beneath  the  moon 
a  brine-strangled  corpse  weaved  with  the  tide.  What 

194 


The  Man  in  the  Mask  195 

answer  had  he  to  give  regarding  this  dead  accom 
plice?  There  had  been  a  struggle  in  the  boat,  a  death 
combat  in  the  water,  a  cry  across  the  night,  a  gurgling, 
hideous  cry,  and  then  silence.  And  now  the  shouting 
crowd  upon  the  pier  was  searching  with  eager  eyes 
across  the  waters  for  the  living  or  the  dead. 

And  "The  Diamond  from  the  Sky"? 

For  the  first  time  a  thought  of  it  crossed  Luke 
LovelTs  benumbed  brain.  This  thought  woke  him  to 
a  pulsing  sense  of  life  by  the  very  anguished  anger 
of  the  recollection  that  "The  Diamond  from  the  Sky" 
was  now  the  diamond  beneath  the  sea! 

Then  the  gipsy  shook  with  an  ague  of  superstitious 
apprehension  more  acute  than  the  physical  chill  that 
agitated  his  aching  frame.  What  curse,  what  strange 
influences  were  about  this  great  gem? 

For  years  it  had  been  the  precious,  quiescent  pos 
session  of  the  Stanleys  of  Stanley  Hall,  and  now  it 
moved  like  some  evil  living  thing  through  the  evil 
living  hands  that  grasped  for  it.  It  seemed  plain  now 
to  the  terror-stricken  mind  of  the  half-drowned  gipsy 
that  no  evil  hand  could  hold  this  baleful  gem. 

The  Stanley  charm  against  harm  was  assuredly  a 
charm  for  harm,  a  very  devil's  fetish  when  in  the 
hands  of  those  who  coveted  it  without  right  of  posses 
sion.  Plainly,  in  hands  alien  and  evil,  "The  Diamond 
from  the  Sky"  would  not  abide! 

And  with  all  the  terror  of  the  night  upon  him,  Luke 
Lovell  felt  relieved  that  this  talisman  of  woe  to  him 
lay  darkling  at  the  bottom  of  the  bay. 

Rested  now,  he  rose  to  his  feet  and  staggered  away 
in  the  darkness  as  he  realized  the  pursuit  was  coming 


196  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

in  his  direction.  Let  the  diamond  stay  with  the  dead, 
let  the  living  answer  the  enigma  of  the  struggle  and 
cries  in  the  night  upon  the  waters  as  best  they  might, 
Luke  Lovell  resolved  on  flight  and  distance  between 
himself  and  the  great  jewel  now  cast  into  the  deeps! 

Sunrise  finds  him  far  back  in  the  mountains,  and 
such  is  the  influence  of  the  great  fear  that  has  been 
upon  him  that,  in  the  desperation  of  his  acute  if  not 
chronic  reformation,  Luke  Lovell  asks  for  and  secures 
work  in  the  capacity  of  blacksmith's  helper  at  a  forge 
at  the  mountain  mines. 

Now  while  he  works  and  works  well,  for  all  gipsies 
are  tinkers  and  smiths  when  they  do  or  will  work,  let 
us  see  what  has  become  of  the  others  whose  destinies 
are  concerned  with  the  diamond  in  the  sea. 

John  Powell,  since  striking  oil,  has  become  possessed 
of  the  touch  of  Midas.  He  prospers  and  waxes  in 
riches  and  power  and  is  intoxicated  with  his  own  suc 
cess.  It  is  not  that  he  has  lost  thought  and  hopes  and 
affection  for  Esther — but  Esther  is  far  away  and  he  is 
young  and  the  adulation  that  men  render — and  women 
too — is  sweet  to  him. 

Already  in  the  oil  fields  of  California  he  is  known  as 
"The  Golden  Man."  He  dreams  of  empires,  as  Cecil 
Rhodes  dreamed  and  realized  in  Africa.  John  Powell's 
money  is  not  hoarded,  his  mind  is  upon  mines,  fruit 
farms,  vast  cattle  ranches,  manufacturing  "plants,  and 
all  forms  of  financial  and  commercial  activities,  as  well 
as  oil. 

The  quiet  lanes  of  Virginia,  the  turmoils  of  his  reck 
less  youth  that  enlivened  them,  are  also  far  away. 
Since  he  found  the  outlaws'  plunder  in  the  desert  and 


The  Man  in  the  Mask  197 

made  it  the  lever  with  which  he  moved  poverty  and 
hardship  from  his  way,  money  has  become  to  Arthur 
a  mighty  thing. 

Yet  ever  in  the  pleasure  haunts  he  frequents  the 
dark  eyes  of  Vivian  Marston  are  on  him.  But  she 
keeps  aloof  and  bides  her  time.  Here  at  last  is  prey 
worth  waiting  for.  She  resolves  to  play  the  game 
boldly  and  well.  She  has  need  of  helpful  assistance; 
her  thoughts  turn  again  to  Blair.  She  knows  that 
for  some  strange  reason,  inexplicable  to  both  Blair 
and  herself,  Arthur  Stanley  had  sacrificed  himself, 
borne  even  the  onus  of  murder,  confessed  by  flight, 
to  save  the  guilty  Blair. 

But  why?  She  does  not  know,  nor  does  she  greatly 
care.  She  only  knows  that  Arthur  would  not  betray 
Blair  and  that  Blair  could  not  betray  Arthur.  She 
also  knows  that  while  Blair  secretly  hates  his  supposed 
cousin,  Arthur  has  sacrificed  himself  for  Blair;  and 
now  that  Arthur,  as  John  Powell,  seems  indeed  a  golden 
man,  Vivian  recalls  all  these  things,  and  thinks  it  well 
to  have  Blair  come  out  to  the  West  as  a  willing  and 
valuable  accomplice  in  her  designs  to  strip  "The 
Golden  Man"  of  all  his  gold. 

In  Fairfax,  Blair  is  surprised  to  receive  a  brief  but 
amiable  letter  from  Vivian.  The  letter  read: 

Los  Angeles,  Sept.  4th. 
MY  DEAR  BOY: 

Am  sorry  we  parted  in  anger  about  the  diamond.  Arthur 
Stanley,  under  the  name  of  John  Powell,  has  struck  it  rich 
in  oil  here.  You  better  join  me  and  let  us  forgive  and  for 
get. 

Lovingly, 

VIVIAN. 


198  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

Blair  crushed  the  note  and  wondered.  In  the  pres 
ence  of  Vivian,  Blair  was  as  a  man  under  a  spell. 
Yet  he  remembers  with  bitterness  her  light  and  scorn 
ful  dismissal  of  him.  She  had  married  him,  given  her 
self  to  him  for  "The  Diamond  from  the  Sky."  He 
had  risked  his  life  for  it  and  her.  Yet  when  the  train 
robbers  had  despoiled  them  of  the  great  gem,  she  had 
thrown  him  aside  and  mocked  him.  And  now  she 
needed  him  and  sent  for  him. 

Blair  was  young,  full-blooded,  evilly  unscrupulous 
and  passionate.  The  sweet  and  beautiful  development 
of  Esther's  character  and  person,  now  that  he  was  re 
lieved  of  the  intoxicating  presence  of  Vivian,  had 
roused  in  Blair's  breast  a  longing  for  Esther  that  he 
thought  was  love. 

Was  it  true  as  Abe  Bloom  had  hinted,  and  Abe 
Bloom  had  known  the  lady  of  old,  that  Vivian  Mar- 
ston  possessed  perhaps  several  husbands,  and  that  her 
marriage,  secret  and  hasty,  to  Blair  in  Richmond,  was 
null  and  void?  Blair's  mother  had  taunted  him  with 
this,  and  had  lightly  dismissed  the  thoughts  of  Vivian 
and  the  marriage  from  her  mind. 

It  was  Blair's  mother  also  who  constantly  inspired 
him  with  thoughts  of  Esther.  The  very  day  the  mes 
sage  had  come  from  Vivian  to  Blair,  his  mother  had 
received  a  letter  from  Lawyer  Hunter,  in  Fairfax,  her 
legal  adviser.  In  this  letter,  a  letter  in  reply  to  some 
queries  Mrs.  Stanley  had  made,  the  lawyer  had  writ 
ten: 

DEAR  MRS.  STANLEY: 

In  reply  to  your  inquiry :  "The  Diamond  from  the  Sky"  is 
legally  the  property  of  any  sole  heir  of  the  late  Colonel 


The  Man  in  the  Mask  199 

Stanley,  whether  a  son  or  daughter,  irrespective  of  family 
tradition  regarding  it  and  the  Earldom  of  Stanley. 
Very  truly, 

RALPH  HUNTER,  SB.,  Attorney-at-Law. 

Mrs.  Stanley  had  shown  this  letter  to  Blair. 

"I  will  tell  you  my  suspicions  now,"  she  remarked. 
"I  have  reasons  to  believe  that  this  girl,  Esther  Hard 
ing,  is  the  real  and  only  heir  to  all  that  Colonel  Stan 
ley  died  possessed  of.  We  have  no  proof  of  this,  but 
I  believe  the  gipsy  woman,  Hagar  Harding,  possessed 
such  proof,  and  the  girl  now  has  it.  Whatever  this 
proof  is,  it  can  be  assumed  that  the  girl  carries  it  with 
her,  especially  now  that  she  has  disappeared.  She 
would  not  be  likely  to  leave  so  important  a  document 
in  any  hiding  place. 

"We  cannot  move  in  the  matter  legally,  for  sus 
picions  are  not  evidence,"  Mrs.  Stanley  went  on.  "Any 
law  suit  might  mean  the  return  of  Arthur  Stanley  to 
tell  the  truth  so  far  as  he  knows  it,  regarding  the  death 
of  Doctor  Lee.  You  would  be  implicated.  That  gam 
bler,  Abe  Bloom,  and  Detective  Blake,  evidently  pos 
sess  proofs  of  your  guilt;  for  while  the  gipsy  woman 
Hagar,  who  has  been  an  imbecile  since  you  struck  her, 
had  only  photographs  of  your  incriminating  thumb 
prints,  it  is  evident  that  Blake  and  the  Blooms  have 
the  originals.  The  price  of  their  silence  is  the  diamond 
when  it  comes  to  light. 

"If  this  girl  is  the  rightful  heir  of  Stanley,  the  dia 
mond  can  be  claimed  by  her,  and  if  Arthur  Stanley  is 
an  impostor,  the  Earldom  in  England  is  yours.  Had 
Colonel  Stanley  not  been  so  bitter  in  his  feud  with 
your  father  or  your  father  not  so  bitter  with  him, 


200  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

Colonel  Stanley  would  have  been  too  proud  not  to 
have  accepted  the  family  tradition  and  turned  over  the 
diamond  to  you  as  rightful  heir,  in  case  the  child  he 
expected  was  a  girl. 

"We  are  bound  to  silence  owing  to  your  rash  and 
reckless  acts.  We  must  make  the  most  of  the  situation. 
If  a  stranger  has  bought  Stanley  Hall,  the  sale  is  not 
legal,  and  if  this  girl  Esther  is  the  real  Stanley  the 
estates  must  be  restored  to  her.  What  will  she  care 
for  the  family  traditions,  if  the  diamond  ever  comes 
to  light  and  she  is  able  to  prove,  or  desires  to  prove, 
her  claim?  Doubtless  she  is  even  now  only  keeping 
silent  out  of  regard  to  Arthur  Stanley. 

"There  is  one  simple  thing  to  do,  Blair,  you  must 
marry  this  girl,"  Mrs.  Stanley  continued,  while  Blair 
listened  in  sullen  silence.  "Then  you  will  have  a  clear 
claim  to  the  title  and  you  will  also,  as  her  husband, 
possess  Stanley  Hall  and  the  diamond.  No  matter 
where  the  diamond  may  be,  it  must  ultimately  come  to 
light. 

"You  can  then  choose  whether  you  will  surrender  it 
to  the  Blooms  as  the  price  of  their  silence  as  is  now 
arranged,  or  buy  them  off  from  the  wealth  that  comes 
to  you  in  England  from  the  Stanley  Earldom." 

Blair  was  glib  in  his  assent  to  his  mother's  plans 
and  all  she  proposed  regarding  them  and  him. 

The  reckless,  desperate  and  unscrupulous  ancestor, 
the  first  Arthur  Stanley  who  had  found  the  diamond 
in  the  fallen  meteor  three  hundred  years  agone,  had  a 
worthy  descendant  in  the  equally  reckless,  desperate 
and  unscrupulous  Blair  Stanley. 

Given  two  things  to  do,  a  right  thing  and  a  wrong 


The  Man  in  the  Mask  201 

one,  Blair  Stanley  would  congenitally  prefer  the  wrong, 
especially  were  a  spice  of  danger  and  even  lawless  dis 
honor  in  it.  In  his  relations  with  women,  too,  Blair 
Stanley  had  much  in  common  with  his  intrepid  and 
dissolute  ancestor. 

It  is  to  be  doubted  if  Blair  gave  any  thought  of  the 
great  wrong  he  might  do  the  gentle  Esther  in  the  fur 
therance  of  the  cold  ambitious  schemes  of  his  mother 
and  his  own  impulsive  lawless  ones.  He  cared  not  a 
whit  whether,  if  he  should  marry  Esther,  such  an  al 
liance  would  be  bigamous  and  shameful,  in  case  his 
marriage  with  Vivian  should  later  prove  legal  and  bind 
ing. 

To  get  Esther  and  to  get  the  diamond  by  any  course, 
as  well  as  to  secure  the  Stanley  Earldom,  appealed  to 
Blair.  The  thought  of  Vivian  fighting  for  her  rights 
as  the  consort  of  an  Earl  appealed  to  Blair's  cynical 
sense  of  humor.  He  was  indeed  a  worthy  scion  of  a 
line  that  traced  itself  from  the  desperate  and  unscrupu 
lous  Sir  Arthur  Stanley,  "The  Fallen  Star." 

With  a  meekness  almost  puritanical  in  its  sleek  hy 
pocrisy,  he  repeated  to  his  mother  that  he  would  do 
everything  that  she  desired.  He  prepared  himself, 
at  his  mother's  suggestion,  to  proceed  from  Fairfax 
to  Richmond  and  make  amends  with  their  disgruntled 
relative  and  society  leader,  Mrs.  Burton  Randolph. 

Blair  and  his  mother  realized  that  Mrs.  Randolph 
had  developed  a  fondness  for  Esther,  which  Esther, 
motherless  and  alone  in  the  world,  had  been  quick  to 
realize  was  unselfish  and  well  intentioned.  Hence, 
Mrs.  Stanley  had  recognized  they  would  need  the  aid 
of  their  amiable  if  silly  kinswoman  to  locate  Esther 


202  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

and  bring  about  her  return,  to  consummate  a  marriage 
between  Blair  and  Esther. 

At  the  gipsy  rendezvous,  all  of  Esther's  search  for 
the  wealth  that  it  had  been  supposed  Hagar  pos 
sessed,  still  proved  fruitless.  Wherever  Hagar  had 
hidden  it  before  that  sudden,  murderous  blow  had  de 
prived  her  of  her  reason,  no  one  knew,  and  there  was 
no  clue  to  it. 

The  generous  Romanys  of  the  tribe  pressed  their 
little  hoards  of  money  upon  Esther,  whom  they  ac 
knowledged  their  princess.  But  Esther  refused  to  ac 
cept  of  this.  The  more  canny  and  practical  Quabba, 
however,  took  all  tribute  of  this  kind,  unknown  to 
Esther.  He  accepted  it  personally  without  the  in 
termediate  aid  of  Clarence,  the  monkey,  Quabba's  col 
lector  of  external  revenue.  Clarence  did  well  enough 
in  the  matter  of  small  contributions,  but  where  the 
largesse  was  of  these  proportions  Quabba  took  it  up 
himself,  and  he  secreted  it  against  coming  days  of 
need. 

Now  Esther  resolved  to  journey  to  California  to  seek 
Arthur.  She  was  followed  far  from  the  camp  by  the 
kindly  gipsies  and  the  gipsy  children,  who  loved  her 
as  devotedly  as  their  elders;  with  Quabba  she  set 
upon  her  way  afoot,  Quabba  having  been  further 
gladdened  by  the  royal  gift  of  a  large  street  piano 
and  cart  and  a  pony  to  haul  it,  the  prized  possession 
heretofore  of  a  gipsy  musician,  lame  now,  and  whose 
wandering  days  were  over  for  the  present. 

Starting  west  and  north  upon  their  quest,  Esther 
and  Quabba  with  their  quaint  equipage  took  their  way. 
They  halted  at  the  farm  of  Farmer  Smith,  where  Ar- 


The  Man  in  the  Mask  203 

thur  had  worked,  and  then  proceeded  on  intending  to 
skirt  through  Richmond  to  ascertain  Hagar's  condition 
again  ere  striking  for  the  far  West. 

Journeying  to  Richmond,  Blair  Stanley  beheld 
Quabba  and  Esther  and  the  pony  and  organ  cart  as 
his  train  passed  swiftly  by  them  on  the  road.  The 
reckless  Blair  had  no  patience  to  wait  till  the  train 
reached  the  next  station.  He  pulled  the  airbrake  cord, 
and,  with  the  maledictions  of  the  trainmen  ringing  hi 
his  ears,  coolly  alighted,  and  as  the  train  pulled  out 
again,  he  hid  by  the  roadside  near  the  track,  and  after 
Esther  and  Quabba  had  toiled  past  him,  he  stealthily 
trailed  them  to  the  outskirts  of  Richmond. 

From  here  he  hastened  to  Mrs.  Randolph's,  and 
made  his  peace  and  enlisted  her  sympathy  and  co 
operation  in  regard  to  Esther.  With  Mrs.  Randolph 
he  hurried  to  the  sanitarium  where  Hagar  was,  and, 
as  he  had  surmised  would  be  the  case,  they  found 
Esther. 

The  pleas  of  the  good-hearted  Mrs.  Randolph  had 
no  effect  in  dissuading  Esther  from  her  wild  plan  of 
searching  for  Arthur,  journeying  even  across  the  conti 
nent  on  foot  with  a  gipsy  hunchback  to  do  so,  until 
she  appealed  to  her  through  her  love  for  Hagar. 

"Suppose  your  mother  recovers  and  needs  you?" 
said  Mrs.  Randolph  earnestly.  "Stay  with  me  and  be 
my  little  adopted  daughter  again  until  your  mother  re 
covers;  you  can  see  she  is  improving.  Let  your  serv 
ant  go  and  seek  Arthur  Stanley.  I  am  sure  I  do  not 
know  what  strange  reason  actuates  you  in  your  desire 
to  find  him/'  she  chattered  on.  "If  he  cared  for  you 
he  would  let  you  know  where  he  is.  If  he  is  not 


204  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

guilty  of  murdering  dear  old  Doctor  Lee,  why  should 
he  run  away?  Don't  you  see,  a  nice  young  girl  can't  do 
such  delightful,  romantic  things?  It's  all  right  in 
books,  my  dear  Esther,  but  in  real  life  a  young  girl 
going  across  the  continent  to  seek  a  sweetheart,  and 
without  a  chaperon,  would  be  talked  about!"  To  be 
"talked  about"  was  Mrs.  Randolph's  idea  of  mundane 
damnation. 

Esther  realized  the  sense  and  sincerity  of  Mrs.  Ran 
dolph's  kindly  pleading  and  agreed  to  abide  by  her  ad 
vice.  So  Quabba  took  up  his  lodgings  in  that  part  of 
the  town  of  Richmond  with  which  he  was  familiar, 
preparing  to  start  shortly  in  his  search  for  Arthur,  and 
Esther  returned  to  Mrs.  Randolph's. 

Thus,  for  rising  fortunes  in  the  far  West,  for  an  an 
cient  title  and  a  vast  estate  in  England,  for  an  old 
and  honored  name  in  Virginia,  and  for  that  baleful 
gem  of  price,  "The  Diamond  from  the  Sky,"  now  lying 
deep  in  the  cold  waters  of  the  Pacific,  men  and  women 
adventured  and  schemed,  while  Fate  wove  all  in  her 
web  and  Time  sifted  all  their  deeds  through  his  cold, 
impassive  hands! 

With  his  fortune  in  the  West,  Arthur  kept  Blake, 
his  secret  agent  in  Richmond,  well  supplied  with 
funds,  though  cautioned  to  silence — a  caution  hardly 
necessary  with  the  taciturn  Blake,  who  was  seemingly 
at  the  bidding  of  all,  and  yet  ever  the  master  of  his 
own  deep  methods. 

A  bootblack,  a  well  grown  youth  of  twenty,  loitered 
by  the  Randolph  mansion  the  day  of  Esther's  return 
with  Mrs.  Randolph  and  Blair  Stanley.  The  same 
bootblack  hastened  later  to  the  private  office  of  Detec- 


The  Man  in  the  Mask  205 

tive  Tom  Blake  and  breathlessly  reported  the  presence 
of  Esther  and  of  Blair  in  Richmond. 

Blake  took  several  banknotes  of  large  denomination 
from  his  wallet  and  enclosed  them  in  a  large  plain  en 
velope  with  a  note  which  read : 

"Sent  by  Arthur  to  be  used  as  necessary." 

Twenty  minutes  later  the  bootblack  furtively 
climbed  the  wistaria  vine  to  Esther's  window,  and  a 
moment  afterward  dropped  down  unseen  beside  the 
Randolph  mansion  and  hurried  away. 

A  few  moments  later  the  light-headed  yet  kind- 
hearted  Mrs.  Randolph  was  rejoicing  as  she  led  Esther 
to  her  room  and  had  displayed  to  her  all  the  nice 
clothes,  just  as  Esther  had  left  them. 

"Nothing  has  been  disturbed,  my  dear,  nothing  has 
been  taken  away  or  nothing  added  since  you  left,  or 
since  you  returned,"  Mrs.  Randolph  prattled  on.  But 
in  this  the  kind-hearted  Richmond  society  leader  was 
mistaken.  For  hardly  had  she  left  Esther  when  the 
latter  found  on  her  bureau  by  the  window  the  large 
envelope  with  the  banknotes  and  the  mysterious  mes 
sage. 

Esther  kissed  the  note,  because  it  indicated  the 
personal  proximity  of  Arthur.  The  money  which  was 
a  thousand  dollars,  hardly  concerned  her  at  all,  except 
that  she  realized  it  would  smooth  the  path  of  Quabba 
to  the  West  in  seeking  Arthur. 

That  Arthur  knew  where  she  was  and  had  strong 
though  secret  influences  working  in  her  behalf,  was  all 
well  enough  perhaps  to  his  masculine  manner  of  think 
ing,  but  in  Esther  the  eternal  feminine  manifested  it- 


206  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

self  in  the  desire  to  be  near  the  one  she  loved.  Nothing 
else  mattered. 

Just  then  Mrs.  Randolph's  maid,  the  smiling  Betty, 
entered  with  a  vase  of  roses,  chattering  her  happiness 
at  seeing  Esther  again.  Esther,  who  had  secreted  the 
note  and  the  money  at  Betty's  knock,  asked  the  maid 
to  place  the  flowers  in  the  window. 

It  was  the  signal  for  Quabba,  and  when  that  faith 
ful  soul  stole  through  the  street  on  the  watch  for  some 
sign  from  his  young  mistress,  he  saw  the  signal,  and 
Clarence,  the  monkey,  was  sent  up  the  wistaria  for  Es 
ther's  message. 

Clarence,  the  monkey,  clambered  down  again  with 
half  the  money  that  had  been  in  the  mysteriously 
placed  envelope,  and  with  it  a  scribbled  note,  request 
ing  Quabba  to  go  at  once  to  Los  Angeles  to  locate 
Arthur,  for  it  was  there  Esther  had  heard  last  from 
him. 

Quabba  smiled,  kissed  his  hand  and  doffed  his  cap 
to  his  fair  young  mistress  at  the  window,  and  hurried 
away.  But  much  was  to  happen  ere  Quabba  left  Rich 
mond.  Some  teasing  boys  at  a  street  corner  annoying 
Clarence,  the  monkey,  and  annoying  Quabba,  the  mas 
ter,  caused  the  latter  to  step  in  the  path  of  a  trolley 
car.  Immediately  he  was  struck  and  tossed  aside,  hurt, 
but  not  badly. 

Blair  Stanley  had  seen  Quabba  turn  round  the  cor 
ner  of  the  Randolph  mansion  and  had  followed  him 
at  a  distance,  wondering  what  might  be  the  hunch 
back's  reason  for  loitering  near  Esther.  Blair,  the 
trailer,  intent  upon  his  own  quarry,  did  not  notice 


The  Man  in  the  Mask  207 

that  he  in  turn  was  trailed  by  a  bootblack,  a  well 
grown  youth  of  twenty. 

When  Quabba  was  knocked  down  by  the  trolley  and 
bruised  and  dazed,  Blair  was  among  the  first  to  come 
to  his  assistance.  Quabba  was  able  to  give  the  ad 
dress  of  his  lodgings  and  to  refuse  to  go  to  a  hospital. 
He  and  Clarence,  the  monkey,  were  placed  in  a  taxi 
and  were  driven  off  to  the  cheers  of  the  multitude,  who 
regarded  them  in  the  light  of  heroes  for  the  dangers 
they  had  passed. 

It  was  Blair's  perverse  nature  that  he  saw  in  the  ac 
cident  a  reckless  way  to  trap  Esther  and  search  her  for 
the  Stanley  document  his  mother  believed  that  Esther 
always  carried  with  her.  It  has  been  said  that  with 
any  two  or  a  dozen  ways  to  do  right  and  one  way  to  do 
wrong,  congenitally  Blair  would  choose  the  wrong  way, 
especially  if  it  were  desperate  and  evil. 

He  scribbled  a  note  and,  seeking  a  messenger,  his 
eyes  lit  upon  the  bootblack.  The  note  was  to  Esther 
and  was  written  as  though  by  a  stranger,  witnessing 
the  accident  to  Quabba.  It  gave  the  address  Quabba 
had  given  after  the  accident,  and  it  requested  Esther 
to  come  to  see  the  injured  man,  the  message  reading 
as  though  Quabba  had  asked  a  stranger  to  send  the 
word. 

The  bootblack  first  bore  the  message  to  his  em 
ployer,  Blake,  the  detective.  That  astute  man  behind 
the  scenes  read  the  note  and  then  ordered  his  youthful 
aid  to  deliver  it  at  the  Randolph  mansion. 

Mrs.  Randolph  plaintively  objected  to  Esther's  go 
ing  alone  to  such  a  part  of  the  town  as  the  address  of 


208  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

Quabba's  lodgings.  But  it  was  broad  day  and  Esther 
laughed  at  her  fears. 

Meanwhile  Blair  Stanley  proceeded  to  the  lodging 
house,  and,  aided  by  the  convincing  argument  of  a  ten- 
dollar  note,  had  no  trouble  in  convincing  the  blowsy 
and  alcoholic  landlady  that  he  was  a  detective  expect 
ing  to  trap  a  woman  shoplifter.  The  landlady  took 
the  money  and  limped  down  to  her  basement  lair  well 
satisfied  with  her  fee. 

Blair  entered  Quabba's  room  softly  and,  finding 
the  hunchback  dazed  with  pain,  bound  and  gagged 
him.  It  was  an  adventure  just  to  Blair's  liking.  He 
had  slipped  on  a  mask  before  surprising  and  overpow 
ering  Quabba,  and  when  Esther's  light  step  was  heard 
at  the  door,  directed  by  the  landlady  on  the  basement 
landing  below,  Blair,  still  masked,  opened  the  door  and 
dragged  her  within  ere  she  had  more  than  lightly 
knocked. 

If  Blair  had  expected  an  easy  victim  he  found  he  had 
caught  a  Tartar.  Esther  fought  like  a  little  tigress 
and  every  effort  Blair  made  to  search  her  for  the  Stan 
ley  document  was  unavailing. 

Blair's  perverse  nature  rejoiced  in  the  vigorous  de 
fence  of  the  slight  but  wiry  girl.  Quabba  struggled  to 
free  himself  to  assist  Esther,  but  just  then  the  door 
opened  and  Tom  Blake,  disguised  as  a  workman, 
joined  in  the  fray.  He  owed  Blair  something  on  an  old 
score  and  right  merrily  he  proceeded  to  pay  it  off. 

Blair  fought  like  a  madman;  Quabba  tore  himself 
loose  from  his  bonds,  and  forgetting  the  bruises  of 
his  accident,  joined  in  the  melee.  Blair  was  young  and 
strong;  physically  he  was  a  match  for  the  detective, 


The  Man  in  the  Mask  209 

even  though  the  latter  was  aided  by  the  active  and 
Jsupple  Quabba. 

The  three-sided  fight  boiled  out  of  Quabba's  shabby 
room  and  down  the  rickety  old  staircase.  Half  way 
down  the  stairs,  the  balustrade  on  the  upper  landing 
having  already  given  way,  the  detective  and  Quabba 
punching,  kicking  and  shoving,  pushed  Blair  out 
against  the  rail.  The  entire  balustrade,  bannisters  and 
all,  broke  out  and  fell  over,  and  Blair  went  down  with 
them  backward  and  struck  with  a  heavy  thud  on  the 
landing  at  the  side  of  the  stairs  in  the  corridor  below. 

Esther  with  Quabba  and  Blake  ran  down  the  stairs 
through  the  dust  and  wreckage.  They  paused  beside 
the  huddled,  insensible  form  of  the  masked  man.  Blake 
lifted  up  the  mask  and  laughed.  Then,  speaking,  still 
as  a  stranger,  he  said :  "You  recognize  the  gent?  Let's 
take  the  lady  away  before  the  police  comes." 


CHAPTER  XIV 
FOR  LOVE  AND  MONEY 

OUT  from  the  rickety  old  mansion,  long  gone 
to  slattern  shabbiness  as  a  lodging  house, 
came  Detective  Tom  Blake  in  his  rough  guise 
of  a  workingman.    He  led  the  dazed  and  be 
wildered  Esther  by  the  wrist,  and,  following  after  her, 
forgetting  in  his  excitement  the  hurts  he  had  sustained, 
came  the  devoted  Quabba. 

Whimpering  inquiries,  unheeded  by  Esther,  as  to 
whether  she  had  been  hurt  .and  divided  between  his 
worry  over  his  young  mistress  and  the  frightened  chat 
ter  of  Clarence,  the  monkey  who  clung  desperately  to 
him,  Quabba  submitted  to  being  hustled  after  Esther 
into  the  taxicab  Blake  had  waiting  there.  The  taxi- 
cab  was  driven  off  at  Blake's  command,  leaving  that 
unexpected  ally  upon  the  scene. 

From  the  dark  and  dingy  interior  of  the  lodging 
house  came  a  cloud  of  dust  raised  by  the  falling  of  the 
rickety  old  stairway  in  the  battle  royal  with  Blair. 

The  blowzy  and  gin-sodden  landlady,  roused  now  to 
an  acute  perception  of  trouble  to  come  from  the  po 
lice,  came  to  the  doorway  screaming;  and  the  idle  and 
shabby  population  of  that  mean  part  of  Richmond 
came  flocking  to  the  scene,  wondering  if  it  were  mur 
der,  robbery  or  both. 

210 


For  Love  and  Money  211 

Blake  mingled  with  the  throng  as  a  spectator,  wait 
ing  to  see  if  Blair  would  be  brought  out  from  the  in 
terior  wreckage,  living  or  dead.  At  the  arrival  of  the 
police  wagon,  the  screaming  landlady  slammed  the 
door  and  barred  it.  Inside,  among  the  wreckage  of  the 
fallen  staircase  and  landing,  Blair,  revived  from  the 
stunning  effects  of  his  fall,  pulled  himself  to  his  feet, 
rejoicing  that  beyond  a  few  bruises  he  was  not  injured. 
He  scrambled  over  the  debris  and  down  the  cellar  steps 
and  over  the  dirty,  littered  backyards  and  away,  while 
the  hysterical,  frowzy  landlady  held  the  fort  against 
the  battering  police  outside. 

The  stout  old  door  held  staunchly.  But  at  last  it 
gave  way  and  in  poured  the  police,  who  gaining  no 
information  from  the  screaming,  scratching  haridan 
who  endeavored  to  bar  their  way,  promptly  laid  hands 
on  her  and  such  of  her  lodgers  as  had  not  fled,  and 
haled  them  out  to  the  patrol  wagon  and  bore  them  off. 

Blake,  idling  with  the  crowd,  did  not  disclose  him 
self,  but  satisfied  that  Blair  had  made  good  his  escape 
and  that  no  notoriety  or  arrests  would  follow  to  stir  up 
matters  that  he,  as  agent  of  Arthur,  desired  to  remain 
quiescent,  returned,  smiling  inscrutably,  to  his  office. 

In  a  back  street,  the  fleeing  Blair  noted  a  standing 
automobile  whose  driver  was  stooping  over  by  its  front 
wheel  finishing  pumping  up  a  tire.  Blair  promptly 
bowled  over  the  startled  chauffeur  and  drove  off  in  the 
commandeered  car  at  breakneck  speed.  He  drew  his 
hat  down  over  his  eyes  and  bent  low  over  the  wheel  as, 
half  way  to  Mrs.  Randolph's  house,  he  flashed  past 
the  taxicab  containing  Esther  and  Quabba.  Blair 
grinned  to  himself,  recovering  all  his  evil  sangfroid, 


212  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

to  note  that  the  inquisitive  monkey,  Clarence,  at  the 
window  of  the  taxicab,  had  cut  him  off  from  the  view 
of  those  within  as  he  sped  past  them. 

Halting  the  motor  car  in  front  of  Mrs.  Randolph's 
house,  Blair  hastily  donned  a  linen  automobile  coat 
and  a  driver's  cap  with  goggles  on  the  vizor  which  he 
found  in  the  car.  Having  hidden  his  own  hat  and  dust- 
covered  coat  under  the  seat  cushion  and  wearing  the 
auto  togs  in  question,  Blair  was  the  first  person  to  greet 
Esther  and  Quabba  when  their  taxicab  drew  up  and 
they  alighted. 

The  taxi  driver,  evidently  in  the  pay  and  at  the  or 
ders  of  Blake,  drove  away  without  a  word,  and  despite 
the  indignant  protests  of  both  Esther  and  Quabba, 
Blair  outfaced  them  with  his  declarations  that  he  was 
innocent  of  any  lodging-house  encounter,  but  on  the 
contrary  had  been  riding  all  day  in  the  automobile  he 
had  borrowed  from  a  friend. 

Mrs.  Randolph,  meeting  the  excited  group  in  her 
doorway,  promptly  fell  into  a  state  of  nerves  at  the 
problem  that  confronted  her  when  the  indignant 
Quabba  and  the  more  than  indignant  Esther  breath 
lessly  presented  their  charges  of  brutal  perfidy  against 
Blair,  who  still  insistently  proclaimed  his  innocence 
with  an  air  half  indignant  and  half  of  puzzled  good 
nature. 

"I  am  sure  I  do  not  know  what  to  say!"  moaned  Mrs. 
Randolph.  "But  really,  Esther,  you  and  this  uncouth 
gipsy  person  with  you,  with  his  horrid  monkey,  must 
be  mistaken!  No  Stanley  would  do  such  a  thing  as 
you  charge  Blair  with,  I  am  sure!  And  also,  Esther, 
no  Stanley  would  associate  with  uncouth  gipsy  persons 


For  Love  and  Money  213 

who  constantly  fondled  spidery  monkeys!  I  begged 
you  not  to  go  without  a  chaperon,  and  now  see  what 
has  happened.  She  should  not  have  gone  without  a 
chaperon,  should  she,  Blair?  And  as  for  accusing 
Blair  of  such  dreadful  things,  hasn't  the  poor  boy  told 
you  that  you  are  mistaken?" 

Seeing  that  Mrs.  Randolph  was  utterly  unable  to 
believe  her  kinsman  guilty  of  his  despicable  actions, 
and  utterly  astounded  at  the  cool  effrontery  of  Blair 
and  his  brazen  denials,  Esther  kindly  dismissed  her  one 
faithful,  loyal  friend,  "the  uncouth  gipsy  person  with 
the  spidery  monkey,"  as  Mrs.  Randolph  designated 
Quabba.  With  head  erect  and  blazing  eyes  she  fol 
lowed  Quabba  to  the  street  and  gave  him  quick,  whis 
pered  directions  to  proceed  to  Los  Angeles. 

"I  will  follow  you,"  whispered  Esther.  "I  will  not 
stay  in  this  house  where  Mrs.  Randolph,  as  Blair's 
cousin,  cannot  or  will  not  see  how  villainous  and  des 
picable  he  is." 

A  week  after  Quabba  had  departed  for  the  West, 
taking  with  him  the  pony  and  piano  cart,  of  which  he 
was  inordinately  proud,  together  with  Clarence,  his 
Simian  collector  of  external  revenue,  Esther  bought  her 
ticket  for  Los  Angeles  and  journeyed  to  find  Arthur. 

Quabba  had  hardly  superintended  the  unloading  of 
his  travelling  outfit  from  the  express  car  and  secured 
lodgings  for  himself,  when  his  young  mistress  arrived. 
Little  did  they  know  that  Blair  had  followed  them,  in 
answer  to  Vivian's  letter  to  him. 

Quabba,  whose  tastes  were  bohemian,  permitted 
himself  a  change  of  costume  shortly  after  arriv 
ing  in  Los  Angeles.  That  is,  he  removed  his  ear- 


214  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

rings  and  donned  a  cheap  straw  hat,  the  very  shape 
and  feel  of  which  he  detested.  Then  he  sought  for 
John  Powell.  Under  this  name,  Arthur  Stanley  was 
now  a  leading  figure  in  the  wonder  city  of  Los  Angeles, 
and  Quabba  soon  found  himself  at  the  offices  of  the 
Good  Hope  Oil  Company. 

A  supercilious  office  boy  and  a  condescending  tele 
phone  girl  reluctantly  informed  the  strange-looking  in 
quirer  that  Mr.  John  Powell  had  gone  far  off  into  the 
distant  Sierras  to  acquire  some  mines,  for,  as  the  news 
papers  constantly  stated:  "John  Powell,  the  new  oil 
millionaire,  was  extensively  branching  out  into  other 
industrial  investments." 

It  was  this  same  information,  but  more  agreeably 
given,  that  was  vouchsafed  to  Blair  when  he  called  at 
the  Powell  office  later  in  the  day.  This  was  at  the  sug 
gestion  of  Vivian  Marston  shortly  after  Blair  had 
joined  that  vivacious  lady,  who  had  married  him  in 
haste  for  the  diamond  and  parted  from  him  in  equal 
celerity  at  the  loss  of  it. 

But  from  the  very  beginning  of  their  reunion  Vivian 
made  their  relative  positions  clear  to  Blair. 

"You  are  a  very  dear  boy,"  she  said,  "and  there  is  a 
refreshing  air  of  youthfulness  about  your  wicked  ways, 
but  I  cannot  be  too  closely  concerned  with  you  in  the 
matters  we  have  in  hand.  I  want  'The  Diamond  from 
the  Sky.'  I  don't  care  where  it  is  or  who  has  it;  I 
would  sell  my  soul  for  it  and  I  would  not  care  how 
many  lives  stood  in  the  way  of  my  desire;  no,  not  even 
if  your  life  was  one  of  them,  my  dear  boy.  And  in 
your  way  you  are  most  interesting  and  engaging,  for," 
and  she  now  spoke  with  dancing  eyes  and  a  mocking 


For  Love  and  Money  215 

smile,  "y°u  are  the  youngest  husband  I  ever  had!" 

Blair's  eyes  glittered  murderously.  "You  go  too  far 
with  me,  Vivian!"  he  gasped.  "No  one  knows  better 
than  you  that  there  isn't  anything  I  wouldn't  dare  for 
you!" 

"That  is  just  the  trouble,"  she  answered  coolly. 
"There  isn't  anything  you  would  not  dare  for  me  or  for 
anything  else  you  desire — Esther  Harding,  for  in 
stance." 

Blair  winced.  "Ah,"  continued  Vivian  mockingly,  "I 
see  that  shot  went  home  and  it  was  a  chance  one.  It 
bears  out  just  what  I  am  telling  you  and  just  what  you 
say.  There  isn't  anything  you  would  not  dare.  You 
dare  everything,  that's  the  trouble.  You  dare  to  love 
me  and  you  dare  to  love  the  shy  and  timid  gipsy  girl. 
Well,  if  we  have  double  lives  why  may  we  not  have 
double  loves?  Now  don't  scowl,  Blair,  my  dear;  you 
can't  frighten  me  for  one  moment.  Physically  you  are 
stronger  than  I  am,  and  I  have  no  doubt  if  you  had  me 
alone  some  place  you  might  strangle  me,  but  you  could 
not  frighten  me. 

"Let  us  talk  this  matter  over  sensibly.  Try  to 
control  yourself.  You  are  too  rash,  too  likely  to  be 
carried  away  by  your  evil  passions.  There,  that  is  bet 
ter,"  she  added,  as  the  scowl  left  Blair's  face  and  a  won 
dering  look  of  puzzled  curiosity  succeeded  the  glare  of 
murderous  anger  in  his  eyes. 

"Now  listen,"  said  Vivian.  "You  know  how  the  de 
sire  for  the  diamond  obsessed  you,  when  you  saw  it  in 
the  hands  of  the  old  doctor  whom  you  murdered  for 
it.  I  do  not  care  if  this  diamond  rightfully  belongs  to 
you  or  whether  it  rightfully  belongs  to  Arthur  Stanley, 


216  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

and  I  do  not  care  whether  your  suspicions  as  to  his 
being  in  your  way  wrongfully  are  correct  or  not. 

"I  only  know  that  Arthur  Stanley  is  known  out  here 
as  John  Powell,  and  John  Powell  has  many  millions 
and  is  making  more.  You  cannot  expose  him  be 
cause,  after  all,  he  knows  he  is  not  guilty  of  the  murder 
of  Doctor  Lee,  and  he  knows  you  are.  That  he  has 
tacitly  accepted  the  guilt  by  his  flight  from  Virginia 
and  living  here  under  a  false  name,  does  not  concern 
me.  I  only  know  that  you  hate  him  and  that  he  is  fond 
of  you.  In  the  minds  of  those  you  both  know  in  Vir 
ginia  he  is  believed  to  be  a  murderer,  and  he  lets  this 
onus  rest  on  his  name,  or  rather  the  name  he  bore  back 
there,  for  your  sake. 

"If  'The  Diamond  from  the  Sky'  rightfully  belongs 
to  Arthur  Stanley  I  would  marry  him  for  it,  just 
as  I  married  you  for  it,  and  if  you  say  a  word  I  will 
send  you  to  the  gallows.  As  desperate  as  you  are,  my 
dear  Blair,  I  can  see  you  do  not  wish  to  go  to  the  gal 
lows;  you  do  not  wish  even  to  be  charged  and  tried 
and  imprisoned  for  the  murder  of  which  you  know  you 
are  guilty. 

"If  you  are  the  rightful  heir  to  the  diamond  and  the 
Earldom,  all  well  and  good.  I  want  the  diamond  and 
I  would  dearly  love  to  be  Lady  Stanley.  But  your 
recklessness  has  placed  you  in  your  present  position. 
At  present  you  can  claim  nothing. 

"So,  if  you  will  think  it  over,  you  will  see  that  while 
we  had  better  work  together,  it  must  not  be  as  man 
and  wife.  You  are  likely  to  venture  too  rashly  and  I 
cannot  be  identified  with  you.  'The  Diamond  from  the 
Sky'  has  disappeared,  but  John  Powell's  millions  are 


For  Love  and  Money  217 

very  tangible.  No  matter  what  I  do  to  gain  the  money 
or  the  diamond,  you  must  not  interfere. 

"If  all  goes  well  we  may  gain  the  diamond,  the  Earl 
dom  and  John  Powell's  money  together.  We  hold  Ar 
thur  Stanley's  secret,  and  that  is  a  good  advantage  at 
the  start.  Now  you  go  and  find  him;  he  is  at  these 
mines  he  has  just  bought.  He  will  be  as  glad  to  see 
you  as  he  was  in  Richmond.  He  does  not  know  your 
true  character,  as  I  do.  He  may  make  you  his  manager 
or  partner,  for  he  is  generous  and  will  be  glad  to  have 
his  kinsman,  if  you  are  his  kinsman,  and  boyhood  com 
rade  with  him. 

"Your  desire,  you  say,  is  to  possess  me.  There  is 
one  way;  help  me  to  get  the  diamond,  help  me  to  get 
John  Powell  in  my  power — we  may  need  his  money  for 
all  our  purposes!" 

So  this  was  the  strange  compact  to  which  Blair  re 
luctantly  consented,  and  he  departed  for  the  mines 
in  an  automobile  to  throw  himself  in  Arthur's  way. 

Quabba,  passing  the  hotel  where  Blair  and  Vivian 
had  their  meeting,  had  a  glimpse  of  their  parting  in 
the  street.  He  telephoned  to  Esther  where  she  was 
stopping,  and  Esther  resolved  to  start  at  once  to  find 
Arthur  before  Blair  reached  him.  Esther  thought  it 
best  that  she  go  alone.  But  Quabba,  parted  with  at 
the  depot,  took  the  next  train  after  her,  first  leaving 
Clarence,  the  monkey,  and  the  pony  and  his  other 
equipment  in  good  hands. 

There  was  another  seeker  for  John  Powell,  "the 
Golden  Man"  in  Los  Angeles.  It  was  none  other  than 
Marmaduke  Smythe,  his  methodical  British  mind 
compelling  him  to  make  every  effort  to  locate  the  fugi- 


218  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

tive  heir  to  the  Earldom  ere  he  returned  to  England. 

Several  interviews  with  Detective  Blake  in  Rich 
mond  had  impressed  that  keen  individual  with  the  firm 
belief  that  Marmaduke  Smythe's  loyalty  to  his  trust 
as  legal  representative  of  the  noble  Stanley  family  in 
England,  had  made  it  second  nature  for  Smythe  to  re 
gard  the  affairs  of  the  Stanley  line  paramount  to  every 
other  thing  in  the  world. 

Blake  had  given  the  timid  yet  loyal  lawyer  a  letter 
of  introduction  to  John  Powell,  couched  in  guarded 
terms.  So  Marmaduke  Smythe  had  departed  for  "the 
veldt,"  as  he  expressed  it,  taking  with  him  an  elephant 
rifle,  and,  as  a  further  incitation  to  the  hunt,  the 
mounted  deer  head  he  had  bought  at  the  sheriff's  sale 
at  Stanley  Hall. 

Smythe  had  a  shawl-strap  arrangement  with  which 
he  carried  this  incongruous  object  as  hand  luggage  with 
him  on  all  his  journeyings  in  barbarous  America.  So 
highly  had  he  come  to  esteem  this  trophy  of  the  chase, 
that  by  some  strange  mental  process,  wherein  the  wish 
was  father  to  the  thought,  the  English  lawyer  had 
come  firmly  to  believe  that  the  deer  head  he  so  highly 
prized  was  actually  the  spoil  of  his  own  gun. 

"I  figure  it  out  this  way,"  Smythe  had  explained  to 
Blake.  "You  remember  I  was  in  the  wilds  of  Virginia 
twenty  years  ago?  I  detrained  in  the  dark  amid  the 
howls  of  savages  and  wild  beasts.  I  fired  my  gun — 
there  was  silence.  The  late  Judge  Stanley  afterwards 
chaffed  me  about  it,  saying  I  had  fired  at  frogs.  But  it 
is  very  strange  that  I  should  not  have  noticed  this  deer 
head  at  Stanley  Hall  at  that  time.  It  is  my  belief  that 
in  discharging  my  gun  into  the  jungle  I  slew  this  stag. 


For  Love  and  Money  219 

The  carcass  was  found  by  the  natives,  doubtless,  and 
the  head  was  mounted  by  Colonel  Stanley.  I  felt 
sure  it  belonged  to  me  when  I  first  saw  it  at  the  sale 
at  Stanley  Hall.  So  I  purchased  it  before  you  bought 
in  the  Hall  and  everything  else  for  this  mysterious 
unknown  client  of  yours." 

"I  guess  that's  the  way  it  was,  Major,"  the  quizzing 
detective  had  replied. 

"Look  here,  old  chap,  I  wish  you  would  not  call  me 
Major,  I  am  in  the  legal  profession,  you  know,  and  not 
in  the  army !  Our  family  never  went  in  for  the  army, 
you  know,"  the  lawyer  had  expostulated. 

The  detective  had  then  smiled  and  shaken  hands 
with  the  lawyer  and  had  replied:  "Well,  I  hear  you 
call  some  kinds  of  English  lawyers  'sergeants.'  It's  my 
mistake,  excuse  me!" 

Thus,  in  due  time,  Smythe  had  found  himself,  with 
gun  and  deer  head  trophy,  at  the  Good  Hope  offices 
in  Los  Angeles.  "Always  too  late,  my  word!"  he  ex 
claimed  when  he  was  also  informed  that  John  Powell 
was  at  his  far-distant  mining  properties  in  another 
part  of  the  state.  "But  I  shall  follow  him,  and  knock 
over  some  big  game  in  the  interim,"  he  added. 

"There  ain't  no  big  game  in  the  interim,"  vouchsafed 
the  office  boy.  "But  there's  big  game  in  the  mountains, 
Mister." 

"Quite  so,  quite  so!"  replied  Marmaduke  Smythe, 
and  took  his  departure. 

Where  passengers  for  the  Lady  Veronica  Mines 
alighted  from  the  train  at  a  small  and  desolate  way  sta 
tion,  a  daily  stage  conveyed  them  to  the  mines, 
thirty  miles  away  up  the  rocky  mountain  passes.  There 


220  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

was  another  passenger  besides  Smythe,  who  still  car 
ried  his  gun  and  the  deer  head  trophy  as  well  as  his 
dress  suit  case;  this  passenger  was  a  very  pretty  young 
lady  in  a  neat  dark-blue  costume.  Had  Marmaduke 
Smythe  a  good  memory  for  faces,  he  might  have  recol 
lected  his  fellow-passenger  as  a  young  girl  he  had  seen 
at  Stanley  Hail  some  six  months  ago.  But  Marmaduke 
Smythe  was  shy  with  the  ladies ;  he  had  hardly  looked 
at  the  pretty  girl  who  had  answered  his  questions  when 
he  had  called  at  Stanley  Hall  to  find  the  heir  of  Stan 
ley. 

But  Esther  recognized  the  lawyer  and  shrank  back 
into  her  corner  of  the  seat  in  the  somewhat  dim  in 
terior  of  the  rattletrap  and  battered  old  stage  coach. 
Alone  in  the  world,  and  sorely  tried,  Esther  suspected 
every  one,  after  her  experience  with  Blair  and  his 
mother  and  even  the  friendly,  though  wishy-washy, 
Mrs.  Randolph. 

Lonely,  apprehensive,  even  disheartened,  Esther  felt 
that  to  be  coolly  received  by  Arthur  would  be  the  last 
straw.  The  secret  joy  she  had  felt  to  realize  that  she 
was  the  rightful  heir  of  Stanley,  had  passed.  She  had 
been  denied  her  birthright  so  long  that  she  could  feel 
no  gladness  at  the  thought  of  being  accepted  as 
Esther  Stanley  rather  than  Esther  Harding,  the  poor 
gipsy  girl.  Only  Arthur  and  the  love  she  bore  for  him 
made  her  steadfast.  She  felt  she  could  go  away  and 
die  of  a  broken  heart  if  he  had  changed  and  with  his 
millions  had  grown  arrogant,  selfish  and  cold.  In  this 
mood  she  even  regretted  she  had  gone  into  the  wilder 
ness  to  seek  him.  Might  she  not  better  have  stayed 
in  Los  Angeles  till  he  returned,  and  meet  him  there? 


For  Love  and  Money  221 

But,  then,  there  was  Blair.  Blair  was  seeking  Ar 
thur,  too. 

She  remembered  Arthur  had  been  Blair's  comrade 
in  their  wild  boyhood  and  even  wilder  young  manhood. 
Blair  might  poison  Arthur's  mind  against  her  if  he 
could.  Blair  was  despicable  enough  for  such  an  action, 
but  he  could  not — she  was  sure  of  that!  So  she  re 
solved  she  would  keep  on,  she  would  see  Arthur.  If 
his  eyes  lit  up  with  love  and  joy  at  the  sight  of  her, 
she  would  tell  him  all  and  beg  his  protection  from 
Blair. 

And  so  Esther  mused  as  the  stage  rocked  and  creaked 
on  its  way  up  the  mountain  passes  to  the  mines,  and 
Lawyer  Smythe  dozed  in  his  corner  as  they  jour 
neyed  on. 

Meanwhile  Blair  was  making  his  way  through  the 
mountains,  in  the  roadster  he  had  hired  for  the  pur 
pose,  over  the  rough  roads  which  he  cursed  continually. 
It  is  prophetic  of  his  curses  and  forebodings  that  the 
front  axle  snaps  and  his  car  is  disabled  on  the  moun 
tain  side.  He  walks  and  arrives  at  the  blacksmith 
shop  near  the  mines,  to  encounter  an  old  acquaintance 
— Luke  Lovell. 

From  Lovell,  Blair,  after  his  proffers  of  friendship 
and  assistance,  learns  that  Arthur  Stanley,  as  John 
Powell,  oil  man  and  mine  owner,  has  left  for  other 
mines  he  is  considering  purchasing,  that  lie  far  across 
the  valley  in  another  range  of  mountains. 

Meanwhile  Quabba,  also,  who  has  disobeyed  Esther's 
commands  through  his  very  affection  for  her,  has  taken 
the  next  train  and  arrives  at  the  lonely  station  only 
to  be  informed  that  the  stage  to  the  mines  does  not 


222  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

meet  any  train  here  save  the  earlier  one,  in  order  to 
avoid  a  journey  that  would  be  made  doubly  perilous 
by  darkness. 

A  group  of  fishermen  to  whom  the  islands  off  the 
sea-coast  hereabouts  offer  big  fishing  in  their  waters, 
have  alighted  with  Quabba.  They  banter  the  poor 
Italian  because  he  is  anxious  to  reach  the  mines,  thirty 
miles  away  up  the  mountains. 

One  proffers  him  a  fishing  rod  and  tells  him  to  be 
philosophical  and  angle  till  the  stage  shall  come  on 
the  morrow  to  bear  him  to  his  destination.  Quabba, 
wondering  if  he  may  not  miss  Esther  if  he  goes  afoot, 
irresolutely  takes  the  fishing  rod  and  follows  the  fisher 
men.  He  is  told  that  the  mountaineers  and  miners 
sometimes  come  down  to  the  coast  for  the  fishing,  and 
that  he  may  be  given  a  ride  back  by  buckboard  or 
wagon  to  the  mine  by  one  of  these  who  may  be  return 
ing.  So  Quabba  plays  his  luck  and  goes  fishing,  not 
so  much  for  a  fish  as  to  angle  for  a  ride  to  the  moun 
tain  mine  where  Esther  has  gone  seeking  Arthur. 
Quabba  meets  with  no  friendly  fishermen  from  the 
hills,  with  buckboard  or  wagon,  returning  to  the  mines. 
So  he  fishes  and  wishes  he  had  started  after  his  mistress 
afoot,  let  the  distance  and  the  roughness  of  the  road 
be  what  they  may. 

The  sport  is  good,  save  that  Quabba  is  annoyed  by 
the  aggressive  boldness,  or  friendliness,  Quabba  can 
hardly  tell  which,  of  a  persistent  pelican.  It  is  a  great 
fat,  white  pelican  who  reminds  Quabba  very  much  of 
a  certain  pompous,  long-nosed,  corpulent  Southern 
magistrate,  who  wore  a  white  waistcoat  and  mulcted 
him  of  ten  dollars  for  playing  hand-organ  music  with- 


For  Love  and  Money  223 

out  a  license.  Quabba  remembers  this  magistrate  with 
extreme  distaste,  and  the  pelican  resembles  him  so 
much  that  Quabba  hates  the  pestiferous  bird  all  the 
more  in  consequence. 

The  stage  to  the  mines,  meanwhile,  is  far  away.  It 
is  halted  at  the  mountain  blacksmith  shop.  A  broken 
lynch-pin  is  giving  trouble.  Luke,  in  the  absence  of 
the  blacksmith,  whose  helper  he  is,  starts  to  adjust  a 
new  lynch-pin. 

Blair  Stanley,  within  the  darkened  shop,  for  he  half 
expected  recognition  by  some  one,  noted  Esther,  as 
Esther  shrank  back  from  the  window  at  sight  of  Luke. 
Luke  in  turn  was  busy  with  his  work  at  the  wheel  and 
gave  no  attention  to  the  passengers,  except  one,  an 
Englishman  with  side  whiskers  who  hung  out  of  the 
coach  and  annoyed  him  with  foolish  questions. 

When  Luke  came  into  the  shop  for  tools,  Blair  drew 
him  to  one  side  and  whispered:  "There  is  some  one 
in  that  coach  who  will  ruin  our  game  with  Arthur  Stan 
ley.  You  know  what  to  do!" 

Luke  had  a  dim  remembrance  of  the  English  lawyer, 
and  not  having  seen  Esther  in  the  coach,  deemed  Blair 
referred  to  that  individual.  He  nodded  grimly  to  Blair 
and  replaced  the  broken  lynch-pin — with  the  broken 
lynch-pin — and  called  to  the  driver,  "It's  all  right!" 
And  grandly  he  waved  aside  the  driver's  proffer  of 
"two  bits" — a  quarter — for  Blair  had  paid  for  the  work 
— and  evil  work  it  was — with  a  twenty-dollar  bill ! 

Down  by  the  rugged  coast  line  thirty  miles  away, 
Quabba  was  fighting  the  fight  that  is  the  true  fisher 
man's  delight  with  some  great,  game  fish.  He  had  for 
gotten  the  pestiferous  pelican  lurking  boldly  near. 


224  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

Far  away,  along  the  crest  of  the  mountain,  beside  a 
precipitous  dizzying  declivity,  the  broken  lynch-pin 
does  its  work.  The  wheel  comes  off  and  spins  away, 
the  coach  topples  over,  the  tongue  snaps  off  short  and 
the  great  swaying  vehicle  falls  over  and  rolls  and 
gathers  momentum  as  it  rolls,  while  Esther  and  the 
English  lawyer,  huddled  in  its  groaning  interior,  spun 
round  and  round  with  the  rolling  coach  body,  are  too 
terrified  to  shriek. 

And  then  the  coach  strikes  a  great  boulder  and 
smashes  as  an  egg  would  smash.  A  spurt  of  dust  and 
then  stillness. 

From  tragedy  to  comedy-drama  the  distance  is  thirty 
miles.  On  the  rocky  seashore  Quabba  lands  his  quarry, 
a  great  quivering  fish.  Caught  in  its  gills  and  partly 
hanging,  from  its  mouth,  is  a  chain  of  antique  work 
manship,  and  from  the  chain  dangles  a  great  locket 
set  with  one  glistening,  sparkling  stone. 

And  then  the  great  white  pelican  swoops  down  and 
bears  off  the  fish  and  the  great  glistening  jewel — "The 
Diamond  from  the  Sky"  is  no  longer  the  diamond  in 
the  sea! 


CHAPTER  XV 
DESPERATE  CHANCES 

BOUNDING  like  a  boulder  that  a  mischievous 
boy  will  start  down  the  hillside,  the  coach  had 
rolled  and  tumbled,  while  its  passengers,  Es 
ther  and  Lawyer  Smythe,  held  as  best  they 
could  to  the  straps  and  interior  trappings,  for  a  few 
brief  seconds  of  mute  horror.  Then  the  crash — and 
all  was  still. 

Starting  at  the  far  off  rumble  of  the  rolling  coach 
down  the  hillside,  Luke  and  Blair,  panting  with  exer 
tion  and  excitement,  ran  at  top  speed  to  the  scene. 
They  gave  no  heed  to  the  driver,  bruised  and  dragged 
by  the  bolting,  frenzied  horses,  but  sped  down  the 
mountain  slope  to  witness  their  work,  nor  stayed  nor 
stopped  till  they  stood  beside  the  shattered  old  coach 
body. 

There,  prone  among  the  wreckage,  lay  Esther  and 
Marmaduke  Smythe.  Esther's  eyes  were  closed,  but 
she  had  been  thrown  out  providentially,  it  would  seem, 
with  a  cushion  from  the  coach  that  had  saved  her  from 
hurt  or  bruise. 

Like  a  flash,  once  the  shock  and  danger  of  the  acci 
dent  had  passed,  Esther  had  noted  it  was  Blair  Stan 
ley  speeding  down  the  hillside  and,  close  beside  him, 
Luke  Lovell.  She  had  turned  at  the  approach  of  her 

225 


226  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

enemies,  stirring  as  one  half  unconscious  and  in  pain, 
and  had  secreted  the  Stanley  document  under  a  stone, 
slipping  it  from  her  bosom  and  hiding  it,  even  as  she 
seemed  to  stir  feebly,  dazed  and  pain  racked.  She  knew 
why  Blair  Stanley  pursued  and  sought  her,  she  realized 
the  tragic  accident  to  the  coach  was  his  work — his 
work  and  that  of  his  accomplice,  Luke  Lovell,  the 
gipsy  blacksmith! 

Beside  her  the  insensible  English  lawyer  neither 
moaned  nor  stirred,  while  Esther,  her  eyes  closed  again, 
feigned  unconsciousness.  She  heard  Luke  Lovell  roar 
angrily,  like  a  sullen  beast: 

"Damn  you,  Blair  Stanley!  You  knew  Esther  was 
in  the  coach.  It  wasn't  the  Englishman  you  hired  me 
to  kill,  then !  Though  he  lies  dead  enough  to  suit  any 
body  there!  You  tricked  me,  you  gentleman  black 
guard!  I  wouldn't  have  a  hair  of  her  head  harmed, 
and  I'll  have  your  life  for  this!" 

"I  swear  I  didn't  see  the  girl!  I  was  in  the  shop, 
you  know,  when  the  coach  stopped!"  lied  Blair  glibly. 
"It  was  the  English  lawyer  I  was  after.  He  is  going 
to  find  Arthur  Stanley.  If  Arthur  Stanley  goes  back 
to  Virginia  I  will  swing  for  the  murder  of  Doctor  Lee!" 

"You  lie  and  you  know  you  lie!"  raged  Luke.  "The 
girl  is  dead.  She  would  never  look  at  me,  but  I  have 
always  loved  her;  I  might  have  been  a  better  man  if 
she  had  cared  for  me!" 

"You  forget  that  I  am  fond  of  Esther,  too,"  mur 
mured  Blair.  "But,  if  she  is  dead  or  if  she  is  uncon 
scious  and  if  she  lives,  she  will  have  no  thought  of 
you  or  me,"  he  added.  "It  is  she  who  has  the  proof  we 
seek  to  make  our  fortunes,  the  proof  Arthur  Stanley 


Desperate  Chances  227 

will  give  all  the  millions  he  has  made  to  keep  sup 
pressed.  Esther  has  the  Stanley  document/'  and  as  he 
said  this,  Blair  stooped  over  the  seemingly  uncon 
scious  girl. 

"Don't  you  touch  her!  Don't  you  lay  a  hand  on 
her!"  cried  Luke.  "I  will  carry  her.  She  isn't  dead, 
thank  God!" 

Esther  stirred  and  sat  up  and  gazed  resolutely  at 
them  both.  Luke  picked  her  up  as  though  she  were  a 
child.  "You  bring  her  baggage,"  he  said  roughly  to 
Blair,  and  he  nodded  his  head,  indicating  the  dress 
suit  case  that  had  fallen  from  the  crushed  and  shat 
tered  coach. 

In  this  way  Esther  was  borne  to  the  blacksmith  shop. 
She  knew  the  document  was  safe  from  these  evil  hands, 
under  the  rock  by  the  coach,  and,  bad  as  she  knew 
Luke  Lovell  was,  she  felt  no  great  harm  would  befall 
her  while  he  was  by. 

This  proved  to  be  the  case,  for  when  Esther  de 
clared  to  them  that  the  Stanley  document  was  not 
upon  her  person,  Luke  believed  her  and  Blair  Stanley 
was  constrained  to  do  likewise. 

"Look  in  her  suit  case  then,"  said  Luke,  and  Blair, 
picking  up  a  chisel,  forced  the  lock.  As  desperate  as 
was  her  situation,  Esther  could  hardly  restrain  a  smile 
when  Blair,  with  an  expression  of  disgust,  brought  forth 
from  the  suit  case  a  pair  of  striped  pajamas,  a  flask, 
some  shirts  and  collars  and  other  male  belongings, 
evidently  the  property  of  her  fellow  passenger,  the 
precise  Britisher. 

"We  have  got  the  wrong  luggage,"  snarled  Blair 


228  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

to  Luke.  "You  go  back  to  the  coach  and  find  hers, 
and  I  will  guard  her  here." 

"I  would  as  soon  trust  her  with  a  wolf,"  growled 
Luke.  Then  he  turned  to  Esther  and  held  his  arms  out 
to  her.  "You  say  the  word,  Miss  Esther,"  he  said, 
"and  I  will  kill  this  blackguard  for  you!" 

But  Esther  shrank  back  from  tl^  fierce,  passionate 
gipsy.  "I  hate  you,  as  I  hate  him!"  she  said.  "You 
will  get  no  document,  you  will  get  nothing,  and  I  do 
not  fear  either  or  both  of  you.  Arthur  Stanley  will  re 
pay  you  fittingly  for  daring  to  lay  a  hand  upon  me!" 

"We'll  tie  you  up  then,  Missy,"  said  Luke,  shrug 
ging  his  shoulders.  "If  I  can't  have  the  lady,  I  will 
take  the  gold.  Matt  Harding  made  his  fortune  out  of 
the  Stanley  secret,  and  I  will  make  mine.  As  for  the 
fellow  you  threaten  us  with,  he  can't  help  you.  We 
know  enough  to  disgrace  him  if  we  expose  him  here 
in  California  and  show  he  is  not  John  Powell,  the  mil 
lionaire,  but  Arthur  Stanley,  wanted  for  murder,  in 
Virginia!" 

Esther  scorned  to  answer.  The  two  worthies,  neither 
trusting  the  other,  tied  her  securely  and  went  together 
back  to  the  wrecked  coach  to  find  her  suit  case  and, 
as  they  hoped,  the  Stanley  document. 

When  the  driver  had  limped  down  the  hill  to  the 
wrecked  coach  and  inquired  of  the  recovering  Smythe 
where  the  young  lady  passenger  was,  Smythe  had  test 
ily  replied:  "I  do  not  know  where  she  is  gone,  but  I 
jolly  well  know  I  am  going  myself!" 

And  gathering  up  the  suit  case  he  thought  was  his, 
and  taking  his  gun  and  the  mounted  deer  head,  the 
trophy  that  he  prized  beyond  all  his  possessions,  the 


Desperate  Chances  229 

English  lawyer  tottered  off  into  the  wilds  in  the  direc 
tion  of  the  Lady  Veronica  Mines,  as  he  thought. 

When  Luke  and  Blair  arrived  upon  the  scene  they 
told  the  driver  his  young  lady  passenger  was  safe  at 
the  blacksmith  shop,  and  they  had  come  for  her  be 
longings.  None  could  be  found,  however,  and  Luke 
and  Blair  returned  reviling  each  other. 

Dusk  was  falling  at  the  time  the  accident  occurred. 
It  was  dark  in  the  blacksmith  shop,  but  Esther  felt  the 
braver  at  the  absence  of  the  two  men.  She  struggled 
and  freed  herself  from  the  ropes  that  had  bound  her, 
and  beat  upon  the  great  heavy  door  of  the  shop,  crying 
for  help. 

Quabba,  mourning  his  young  mistress  and  bewail 
ing  his  fate  that  he  had  so  strangely  found  and  so 
strangely  lost  "The  Diamond  from  the  Sky"  again,  had 
set  out  on  foot  for  the  mines  to  find  Arthur,  but  espe 
cially  to  find  Esther,  his  young  mistress.  It  was  just 
at  nightfall  that  he  reached  the  forge,  some  ten  miles 
yet  from  the  mines.  It  was  locked,  gloomy  and  de 
serted  in  the  darkness.  But  from  within  he  heard  a 
voice  he  recognized,  the  voice  of  his  young  mistress 
crying  for  help. 

A  sledge  stood  by  the  door,  left  there  by  Luke  while 
at  some  outside  repair  work.  Quabba  seized  it  and 
shattered  down  the  door  and  soon  he  was  shedding 
tears  of  joy  as  he  clasped  the  hands  of  Esther. 

There  was  no  time  for  explanations  now.  A  word 
from  Esther,  and  the  two  sped  off  through  the  dark 
ness,  to  be  followed  a  few  moments  later  by  Blair  and 
Luke,  returning  to  find  their  fair  prisoner  had  been 
freed  and  was  gone. 


230  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

Over  the  mountains,  through  the  darkness  went  pur 
suers  and  pursued,  while  by  a  log  near  a  marsh,  Law 
yer  Marmaduke  Smythe  gathered  up  some  dry  trash 
and  lit  his  fire  to  camp  for  the  night.  He  had  lost 
his  way,  but  philosophically  he  accepted  the  situation. 

"I  am  a  lucky  beggar,  that  I  thought  to  bring  a  tin 
of  biscuit  and  a  flask  of  brandy  in  my  luggage,"  he 
remarked  half  aloud.  And  he  opened  the  dress  suit 
case  he  had  borne  so  far,  together  with  his  other  im 
pedimenta  of  gun  and  deer  head. 

"My  word !  The  wrong  portmanteau ! "  he  exclaimed, 
as  in  the  fire  light  he  brought  forth  a  young  lady's 
dainty  nightrobe  and  boudoir  cap.  "Well,  no  matter," 
he  added  resignedly,  "these  will  protect  me  from  the 
drafts  in  this  jungle!  Now  if  I  only  had  a  night  light 
in  case  my  fire  goes  out.  I  am  used  to  having  a  night 
light,  and  if  I  had  that  and  my  portable  bath  tub,  I 
could  stand  the  wilderness. 

"But  if  the  late  Lord  Cecil  Stanley  could  only  see 
me  now!"  he  added  fervently,  as  he  surveyed  himself 
in  his  strange  night  attire.  "By  Jove,  this  is  rough 
ing  it  with  a  vengeance!" 

The  moon  came  up  and,  as  if  waiting  for  it  as  a 
signal,  the  harsh  discordant  chorus  of  croaking  marsh 
frogs  sounded  on  all  sides. 

"Indians!  Savage  Iroquois!"  cried  the  alarmed  law 
yer,  seizing  his  gun.  "But  no,"  he  added  to  himself, 
"I  will  not  shoot ;  their  war  whoops  on  every  side  show 
they  surround  me.  I  will  scout  off  in  the  darkness  like 
one  of  those  bally  astute  Western  Americans,  previous 
travellers  to  these  wilds  have  written  about.  But  just 


Desperate  Chances  231 

won't  I  write  a  book  that  will  thrill  all  England,  when 
I  get  back  unscalped — if  I  ever  do?" 

And  softly  dropping  the  marshmallows  which  he 
was  toasting,  a  box  of  which  he  had  found  among 
Esther's  effects,  the  frightened  Smythe  stole  softly 
away,  but  he  was  not  so  frightened  as  to  leave  his  lug 
gage  behind.  He  bore  with  him  the  deer  head,  the 
suit  case  and  the  gun,  and,  on  higher  land,  out  of  ear 
shot  of  the  savage  war  cries  of  the  greenskins,  he 
camped,  quite  uncomfortably,  thank  you,  in  the  crotch 
of  a  large  live-oak  tree. 

Day  broke  on  the  other  side  of  the  mountain  at  the 
Lady  Veronica  Mines.  The  hoarse  whistle  at  the  power 
plant  woke  the  raucous  echoes  of  the  mountain  gorge. 
The  miners  tumbled  from  their  bunks  and  stormed  the 
greasy  cook  house. 

In  the  boss's  shack  the  telephone  rang  and  a  sleepy 
assistant  foreman  took  a  message  from  John  Powell's 
chief  engineer  at  the  workings  on  the  other  side,  to 
which  from  the  Lady  Veronica  Mines  a  tunnel  was 
driven  four  miles  through  the  mountain. 

The  message  called  for  all  hands  to  quit  the  job  and 
come  through  to  the  new  workings  on  the  other  side. 
This  message  is  delivered  to  miners,  outside  men,  the 
cook-house  help,  even  to  the  ore  strippers  who  have 
just  begun  to  load  the  ore-carrying  cradle  that  carries 
the  ore  by  cable  from  the  hillside  outcrop  across  the 
dizzy  gorge  below  to  the  tipple  on  the  other  side  of  the 
ravine. 

The  whistle  woke  Esther  and  Quabba  from  where 
they  had  fallen  exhausted  in  their  flight  on  the  rugged 
mountain  side  a  mile  or  more  away.  It  roused,  to 


232  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

their  evil  purposes  in  their  waking  hours,  Luke  Lovell 
and  Blair  Stanley  as  well. 

"That  is  the  mine  whistle ! "  exclaimed  Quabba.  "If 
we  can  reach  the  mine  we  will  find  Arthur  Stanley  and 
we  will  be  safe ! " 

Neither  Quabba  nor  Esther  knew,  as  Blair  and 
Luke  did,  that  Arthur  had  left  the  Lady  Veronica 
Mines  and  had  crossed  the  mountain  to  his  new  work 
ings.  From  there  Arthur  Stanley,  or  John  Powell,  as 
California  knew  him,  had  ridden  across  another  moun 
tain  range  to  distant  Santa  Barbara,  where  he  had  ar 
ranged  to  take  over  the  palatial  steam  yacht  that  was 
to  be  delivered  to  him  there. 

Vivian  Marston,  in  Los  Angeles,  had  kept  herself 
better  posted  as  regards  John  Powell's  comings  and 
goings.  Experienced  and  worldly-wise,  Vivian  Mars- 
ton  laid  her  plans  well.  She  knew  how  telling  and 
effectual  a  romantic  or  dramatic  first  meeting  with  the 
youthful  and  high-spirited  type  of  young  man  may 
be.  She  had  met  Arthur  once,  it  is  true.  Thrice  she 
had  seen  him.  The  meeting,  the  passing  introduction 
had  left  no  impression  other  than,  perhaps,  the  slight 
est  upon  Arthur,  Vivian  was  sure.  She  had  also  briefly 
glimpsed  him  at  the  tournament  at  Fairfax  and,  later, 
at  the  restaurant  in  Los  Angeles.  But  these  brief  con 
tacts,  she  realized,  were  as  nothing.  Vivian  felt  that 
to  impress  Arthur  properly  she  must  throw  herself  in 
his  way  in  some  striking  manner,  at  a  time  when  there 
would  be  no  distraction  to  militate  against  the  dra 
matic  intensity  of  the  meeting,  as  she  planned  it. 

Vivian  felt  that  every  tie  that  bound  Arthur  Stanley 
to  his  old  life  in  Virginia  was  broken,  now  that  he  was 


Desperate  Chances  233 

John  Powell,  California  millionaire,  nattered,  sought 
after.  Every  tie  was  broken,  save  perhaps  his  affec 
tion  for  Esther  and  his  mother.  But  youth  and  suc 
cess  and  flattery  lead  to  forgetfulness,  as  Vivian  knew. 
Could  she  but  cross  his  path  impressively  she  felt  sure 
she  could  hold  him,  and  Esther  then  would  be  but 
a  memory,  a  faint  influence  no  longer  to  be  feared. 

Seeing  in  the  newspapers  that  John  Powell  would 
go  to  Santa  Barbara,  Vivian  had  gone  there  also, 
taking  care  to  avoid  the  courted  young  magnate  at 
that  place  when  he  too  arrived  at  the  magnificent 
hotel  to  take  command  of  the  costly  steam  yacht, 
waiting  for  him  in  Santa  Barbara  Bay. 

Her  prospective  prey  had  come  on  horseback  and 
had  met  the  yacht  broker  shortly  before  she  had  ar 
rived  at  the  hotel.  He  had  donned  the  expensive  yacht 
attire  that  had  been  sent  here  for  him  and  was  on  his 
way  to  the  wharf,  as  Vivian  watched  from  the  window 
of  her  room  in  the  hotel  and  mused  upon  her  plan. 

"That  is  the  new  yacht  the  young  millionaire,  John 
Powell,  has  just  bought,  is  it  not?"  she  asked  of  the 
attentive  hotel  maid.  The  maid  was  quick  to  as 
sent.  "Have  you  seen  Mr.  Powell,  ma'am?"  the  maid 
asked  eagerly.  "He  is  so  handsome,  all  the  young  la 
dies  at  the  hotel  are  dying  to  meet  him!" 

"He  is  an  old  friend  of  mine,"  said  Vivian,  smiling. 
"Too  bad  he  is  gone  to  his  yacht  before  I  saw  him. 
I  know  he  would  have  taken  me  aboard." 

Then,  as  though  the  idea  had  just  occurred  to  her, 
she  clapped  her  shapely  hands  and  cried:  "I  know 
what  I  will  do!  I  wired  here  before  I  came  that  a 
sailboat  should  be  hired  for  me.  The  clerk  told  me 


234  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

the  owner  of  the  sailboat  had  it  waiting  for  me 
anchored  off  the  dock.  If  I  hurry,  I  can  sail  out 
to  the  yacht  before  Mr.  Powell  will  be  through  look 
ing  it  over  and  getting  under  way  for  the  trial  trip! 
Here,  help  me  into  these  clothes!" 

And  with  the  hotel  maid's  assistance  Vivian  quickly 
attired  herself  in  a  fetching  sailor  costume  which  set 
off  her  rich  beauty  to  advantage,  as  well  she  knew. 

Calling  a  taxi,  she  drove  to  the  wharf,  to  find  the 
sailboat  owner  waiting  for  her.  Declaring  she  was 
a  good  sailor  of  pleasure  craft  and  could  handle  a 
small  boat  as  well  as  any  man — which  was  true 
enough — Vivian  Marston  refused  the  assistance  of  the 
bewildered  sailboat  owner.  She  had  him  run  up  the 
sail  for  her,  and  left  him  at  the  wharf  and  headed 
her  craft  in  the  direction  of  the  graceful  yacht 
anchored  far  'out.  With  steam  up  and  anchor 
weighed,  the  yacht  was  ready  to  start  off  on  its  first 
voyage  under  the  command  of  its  new  owner,  John 
Powell. 


Far  away  in  the  Sierras,  in  that  wild  region  where 
lie  the  Lady  Veronica  Mines,  owned,  like  the  great 
white  yacht  in  Santa  Barbara  Bay,  by  John  Powell, 
another  fair  but  younger  woman  seeks  also  this  for 
tunate  young  man.  Roused  from  the  slumber  of  ex 
haustion,  Esther  and  Quabba  hastened  along  the 
mountain  road  toward  the  now  deserted  mine.  By 
some  unfortunate  chance  the  evil  pair  who  pursued, 
and  who  had  lost  them  in  the  flight  in  the  night, 
now  sighted  them  again. 


Desperate  Chances  235 

Quabba  was  first  to  sense  the  renewed  pursuit. 

"There  are  Blair  Stanley  and  Luke  Lovell!"  he  cried. 
Esther  ran  like  a  fawn  beside  her  faithful  protector. 

"The  mine  is  not  far  away;  we  heard  the  whistle 
at  daybreak  quite  plainly!"  Esther  panted.  "Arthur 
is  there — Arthur  will  save  us!" 

Nearer  and  nearer  came  the  speeding  Luke  and 
Blair.  Quabba  seized  Esther  by  the  hand  and  turned 
sharply  down  the  rocky  hillside  where  the  sheds  at 
the  mine  mouth  could  be  seen  at  the  bottom  of  the 
wild  gorge  far  below. 

Over  rock  and  shrub,  by  the  sheer  edge  of  a  mighty 
precipice,  Quabba  and  Esther  fled.  But  the  more 
sturdy  and  agile  Blair  and  Luke  gain  ever  on  them. 

Suddenly  Quabba  holds  himself  and  Esther  back 
with  an  effort.  They  have  reached  the  upper  anchor 
age  of  the  cable-carrier  across  the  gorge.  Here  the 
empty  ore  cradle  hangs  upon  its  pulleys,  just  as  the 
ore  strippers  at  the  outcrop  left  it  when  summoned 
to  proceed  through  the  tunnel  to  the  new  workings 
on  the  other  side. 

"Quick!"  gasped  Quabba,  clamboring  nimbly  into 
the  ore-carrier,  and  helping  the  almost  equally  active 
Esther  up  beside  him. 

Just  as  the  hand  of  Luke  Lovel  clutches  at  the  car 
rier,  Quabba  has  lifted  the  catch,  and  the  ore  cradle 
starts  across  the  cable  and  darts  with  increasing  mo 
mentum  over  the  deep,  wild  gorge  and  the  rocky, 
turbulent  stream  that  roars  beneath  them.  The  cable 
sways,  the  wheels  of  the  ore  cradle  hum  as  they  spin. 
Over  the  sickening  height,  borne  by  the  thin  line  of 
the  cable,  go  the  frightened  girl  and  the  devoted 


236  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

Quabba,  while  the  desperate  Blair  and  his  gipsy  ac 
complice  curse  the  fugitives  on  their  swift  and  perilous 
flight. 

At  the  lower  anchorage  the  other  side  of  the 
canyon,  the  aerial  tram  stops  with  a  sudden  shock 
that  almost  precipitates  its  occupants  to  the  ground 
beneath.  Recovering,  Quabba  and  Esther  climb  out 
and  hasten  around  from  the  tipple  tracks  back  to  the 
other  side  of  the  gorge  to  the  mine  mouth.  This  time 
they  cross  by  the  trestle  built  to  carry  the  mine  cars 
from  the  tunnel  to  the  tipple. 

Luke  and  Blair  meanwhile  have  plunged  down  from 
the  upper  anchorage  of  the  aerial  tramway  to  the 
river  and  forded  their  way  across  as  best  they  can, 
and  reach  the  other  side,  only  to  see  their  quarry  is 
doubling  back  over  the  high  trestle  to  the  tunnel 
mouth. 

Reaching  the  mine  opening  at  the  trestle  end,  one 
glance  shows  to  Quabba  and  Esther  that  the  work 
ings  here  are  deserted.  There  is  no  help,  not  even 
a  watchman  or  mine  guard  has  been  left  behind  in 
the  exodus  to  the  other  workings,  through  the  mine 
tunnel  under  the  mountain. 

Now,  while  they  halt  and  hesitate,  Luke  and  Blair 
have  seen  the  helplessness  of  the  fugitives. 

"There  is  no  one  at  the  mine;  a  strike  or  an  acci 
dent  in  the  tunnel  has  called  away  every  man,"  pants 
Blair.  "We  will  have  them  yet  and,  this  time,  we 
will  not  take  the  girl's  word  that  she  hasn't  the  Stan 
ley  document  on  her  person!" 

Their  pursuers  are  half  across  the  trestle  when 
Quabba,  inspired  by  despair,  notices  the  little  electric 


Desperate  Chances  237 

engine  by  the  mine  mouth.  He  has  not  to  speak  to 
Esther  as  he  seats  himself  in  the  driver's  seat,  for 
she  climbs  up  and  sits  beside  him. 

A  turn  of  the  controller  proves  the  power  is  on, 
and  the  little,  low,  heavy  motor  glides  off  like  a  thing 
of  life,  grinding,  and  showering  sparks  from  the  over 
head  feed  wires. 

In  they  go,  into  the  darkened  heart  of  the  hills. 
After  them,  floundering  and  cursing  over  the  ties  and 
through  the  mud  and  water  of  the  mine,  panting  and 
swearing,  come  their  relentless  pursuers,  following  the 
trolley's  blue  sparks  "arcing"  far  off  in  the  darkness. 


In  Santa  Barbara  Bay,  John  Powell's  yacht  moves 
swiftly  from  its  anchorage.  The  owner  is  at  the  wheel, 
receiving  his  first  instructions  from  his  sailing  mas 
ter.  John  Powell's  face  is  lighted  with  a  smile  and 
his  dark  eyes  dance  with  excitement. 

Suddenly  there  is  a  loud  cry  forward.  A  sailboat 
with  a  woman  at  the  helm  has  laid  a  course  direct 
across  the  sharp  bow  of  the  great  new  yacht.  Who 
ever  the  fair  sailor  is,  it  is  evident  that  she  has  lost 
her  head  and  cannot  change  her  course  now,  though 
seemingly  she  vainly  tries. 

Too  late  the  veering  of  the  sail,  the  turning  of  the 
helm;  the  little  craft  is  right  across  the  bow  of  the 
yacht  and  is  struck  and  cut  and  lies  crushed  and 
crumpled  and  on  its  side! 

The  new  owner  sees  the  woman  in  the  water  and 
hurls  himself  head  first  into  the  bay  to  save  her! 

Risking  death  for  a  diamond,  Vivian  smiles  even  in 


238  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

her  perilous  position  in  the  water  when  she  sees  the 
reckless  Arthur  clear  the  rail. 

But  "The  Diamond  from  the  Sky,"  that  lately  was 
the  diamond  in  the  sea,  lies  in  an  inland  marsh  in  a 
frog  puddle,  dropped  by  the  pelican  who  shook  it  from 
the  fish  that  brought  it  from  the  depths! 


CHAPTER  XVI 
THE  PATH  OF  PERIL 

THE  path  of  peril  leads  through  the  heart  of 
the  mountains.  The  path  of  peril  is  across  the 
deeps  where  the  dimpling  of  the  waters  shows 
the  footsteps  of  the  wind  upon  the  sea. 

Through  the  heart  of  the  mountains,  in  the  dark 
and  dripping  tunnel  of  the  mine,  grinds  and  groans 
the  dingy  little  electric  motor  bearing  Esther  on  the 
path  of  peril;  beside  her  the  one  constant  friend  and 
faithful  servant,  Quabba,  the  hunchback. 

Behind  them,  floundering  through  the  darkness — 
relentless  as  they  are  desperate  and  determined,  come 
the  Virginia  ne'er-do-well  and  the  gipsy  outlaw — Blair 
Stanley  and  Luke  Lovell. 

The  desire  for  a  diamond  and  all  it  symbolizes  of 
wealth,  power  and  position,  inspires  the  graceless  Blair 
and  the  greedy  gipsy  in  their  relentless  pursuit. 

Where  the  path  of  peril  lies  upon  the  sea,  Vivian 
Marston  floats,  feigning  unconsciousness,  by  the 
crushed  and  cut-down  sailboat  she  drove  across  the 
course  of  the  great  white  yacht.  It  is  a  desperate 
chance  she 'takes,  but  "The  Diamond  from  the  Sky" 
is  the  guerdon  of  desperate  chances. 

A  dozen  hands  were  helping  now  as  Arthur  swam, 
his  hand  upon  the  sailor  collar  of  the  seemingly  un- 

239 


240  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

conscious  lady  of  the  sailboat.  But  the  lady  of  the 
sailboat,  though  her  eyes  were  closed,  was  fully  con 
scious.  A  faint  smile  of  triumph  played  upon  her 
lips,  her  venture  upon  the  path  of  peril  had  been 
a  successful  one.  She  had  thrown  herself  into  the 
arms  of  John  Powell  in  such  a  dramatic  and  romantic, 
yet  seemingly  unpremeditated  manner,  that  it  could 
not  fail  to  have  its  effect,  she  knew. 

So  Vivian  sighed  with  vague  contentment  and  clung, 
seemingly  semi-unconscious,  to  her  rescuer  as  they 
were  haled  into  the  lifeboat;  and  when  she  was  car 
ried  up  the  companionway  and  into  the  handsomely 
furnished  cabin  of  the  yacht's  owner,  she  could  have 
laughed  aloud  for  the  sheer  success  of  her  wild  plan. 

In  the  mine,  the  path  of  peril  is  dark  and  fearsome 
to  the  timid  girl  who  is  driven  over  it,  pursued  by 
the  twain  who  will  stop  at  nothing  to  prevent  her 
reaching  the  one  she  loves  with  the  Stanley  document 
— a  document  they  believe  she  carries  with  her. 

The  operation  of  an  electric  mine  motor  is  simple 
enough,  but  when  it  balks  in  the  inexperienced  hands 
of  Quabba,  then  indeed  the  dangers  of  this  path 
of  peril  grow  manifold. 

"Me  don't  know  what's  da  matter  with  him,  all 
the  time  now,  Miss  Esther,"  whimpers  Quabba. 
"Some  wire  loose,  maybe?  Eh,  what  you  think?" 

"We  are  far  ahead  of  them,"  says  Esther  encour 
agingly;  "even  if  the  motor  will  only  do  this  well, 
they  will  not  overtake  us.  It  seems  to  me  we  have 
gone  miles  and  miles  through  this  dreadful  darkness!" 

"He  stops,  he  don't  go  no  more!"  moans  Quabba,  as 


The  Path  of  Peril  241 

the  little  motor  grinds  and  halts,  then  goes  forward 
a  few  feet  and  stops  with  a  jerk. 

"Do  you  think  you  can  fix  it?"  asked  Esther  eagerly. 

Quabba's  courage  returns  as  he  notes  in  Esther's 
question  a  tone  of  confidence  in  his  ability  as  an  ama 
teur  electrical  engineer. 

"Ha!"  he  says.  "Plenty  time  I  fix  the  organ.  I 
find  what's  the  matter  and  fix  this!"  and  he  jumps 
from  the  seat  and  under  an  electric  light,  in  a  wide 
part  of  the  tunnel  where  the  motor  has  halted,  he 
proceeds  to  examine  it  with  the  air  of  one  who  de 
sires  to  impress  all  beholders  with  his  deep  knowl 
edge  of  electrical  mechanics. 

There  was  light  enough  at  this  point  to  make  any 
slight  repairs,  providing  poor  Quabba  was  competent 
to  do  so.  But  an  intimate  knowledge  with  the  mech 
anism  of  street  pianos  is  hardly  of  avail  in  repair 
ing  balky  electric  motors. 

"Do  be  careful!"  cautions  Esther.  "If  anything 
should  happen  to  you  I  would  never  forgive  myself. 
I  have  heard  of  men  being  killed  tampering  with  elec 
tric  wires.  And  look!"  and  Esther  pointed  to  a  sign 
at  the  side  where  a  new  heading  from  the  main  tun 
nel  was  evidently  being  driven.  There,  plain  in  the 
light  from  the  overhead  incandescent  bulb,  was  a  dingy 
yet  plain  sign  of  warning  that  read:  "Danger!  Blast 
ready!"  Near  it  was  a  small  black  box  from  which 
a  plunger  protruded  and  to  which  coils  of  insulated 
wire  were  attached. 

Even  to  Esther's  inexperienced  eyes,  the  purpose  of 
the  grim-looking  little  box  and  the  coils  was  apparent. 


242  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

It  was  mechanism  to  set  off  a  blast,  and  the  blast, 
as  the  sign  warned,  was  ready. 

Quabba  realized  the  fact  as  well  as  Esther  and  re 
doubled  his  efforts  to  locate  the  cause  of  trouble  in 
the  motor  and  to  get  out  of  the  danger  zone.  The 
young  girl  and  the  poor  hunchback,  fleeing  from  the 
danger  of  human  enemies,  were  now  in  danger  of  a 
horrible  death  in  the  deserted  mine  tunnel  at  this 
point.  But  such  a  death  Esther  did  not  dread  as 
she  dreaded  the  worse  fate  that  might  come  to  her 
if  she  fell  again  into  the  hands  of  Blair  Stanley. 

Esther  knew  that  Luke,  for  all  his  brutishness,  had 
ever  been  attached  to  her.  He  had  protected  her  in 
some  measure  before,  but  dominated  as  he  was  by 
greed  and  the  stronger,  more  wicked  mind  of  Blair 
Stanley,  Esther  felt  no  great  confidence  in  Luke 
LovelFs  further  protection,  if  protection  it  might  be 
called. 

While  Quabba  fussed  and  perspired  in  his  inexperi 
enced  efforts  to  remedy  or  find  cause  of  the  balking 
of  the  motor,  Esther  sat  listening  with  straining  ears 
to  the  weird  and  eerie,  subterranean  sounds  of  the 
ceaseless  dripping  of  the  water  from  the  mine  roof, 
and  the  occasional  rattle  and  fall  of  loosened  earth 
and  rocks  in  the  dark  distances  of  the  tunnel. 

Then  there  came  through  the  darkness  from  far  off 
behind  them  the  sound  of  footfalls  through  the  water 
that  covered  the  tunnel  floor.  Like  moving  stars, 
she  saw  the  lights  of  the  candles  borne  by  Luke  and 
Blair.  She  knew  it  must  be  they,  for  the  mine  and 
all  its  workings  had  been  as  deserted  as  a  place  of 
the  dead. 


The  Path  of  Peril  243 

"They  are  coming,  Quabba!"  she  cried.  "What 
shall  we  do?" 

The  hunchback's  usual  kindly  face  took  on  a  set 
expression  of  murderous  determination,  strange  to 
Esther's  eyes. 

"This  time  I  kill  them!"  he  exclaimed.  "Wait,  you 
see!" 

Leaving  his  task  of  searching  for  the  trouble  hi  the 
mechanism  of  the  motor,  Quabba  slipped  around  to 
the  back  of  it  and  pushed  the  little  machine,  with 
many  grunts  and  straining  efforts,  from  the  danger 
ous  spot  near  the  set  blast  and  its  warning  sign. 

Pushing  and  panting,  he  shoved  the  heavy  little 
machine  over  the  water-covered  tracks  a  hundred 
yards  or  more  down  the  tunnel.  Then  he  rushed  back 
under  the  electric  light  by  the  set  blast,  and  seiz 
ing  the  blast  battery  by  its  leather  handle  and  uncoil 
ing  the  loops  of  wire,  the  other  ends  of  which  were 
fastened  deep  down  in  the  blast  holes  to  the  detonator 
in  the  dynamite,  Quabba  slipped  back  through  the 
darkness,  and  called  to  Esther  to  come  around  behind 
the  shielding  bulk  of  the  motor  with  him.  From  the 
blast  battery  box,  he  carried,  trailed  the  length  of  wire 
that  transmitted  the  vital  spark  of  the  forces  of 
destruction. 

Now  Blair  Stanley  and  Luke  Lovell  had  located 
them  by  the  single  light  upon  the  electric  motor. 
They  pressed  forward  with  exultant  shouts,  then,  just 
as  they  reached  the  wide  space  where  the  blast  was 
set  at  the  new  heading,  Quabba,  shielded  with  Esther 
behind  the  motor,  drove  the  plunger  of  the  battery 
down  swift  and  hard. 


244  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

There  was  a  deafening  boom  and  crash,  a  burst  of 
fire,  the  sound  of  showering  rocks,  a  heavy  fall  of 
earth  and  debris  that  seemed  to  heave  out  and  groan 
and  rattle  and  settle — then  a  choking  fog  of  blast 
smoke,  and  silence! 

Whatever  had  been  the  matter  with  the  motor,  the 
shock  and  jar  of  the  explosion  had  settled  the  loos 
ened  wire  back  in  place  to  a  proper  contact,  for  when, 
shaking  with  fright  and  excitement,  Quabba  had 
dragged  Esther  aboard  the  motor  again  and  turned 
the  lever,  the  little  machine  moved  forward  slowly 
at  first  and  then,  gaining  speed,  glided  smoothly  and 
swiftly  out  of  the  smoke  and  on  and  on,  swifter, 
faster,  until  the  hunchback  and  the  trembling  girl  felt 
a  breath  of  fresh  air  blow  upon  them,  and  saw  a  gleam 
of  daylight  and  sped  on  and  out  from  the  dank  mouth 
of  the  mine  into  God's  good  sunlight. 

The  men  called  to  this  side  of  the  mountain  to 
the  new  workings,  were  astounded  at  the  appearance  of 
so  strange  a  pair  bursting  out  from  the  tunnel  and 
speeding  down  the  track  on  the  electric  motor  that 
had  been  left  at  the  other  and  far-off  portal  of  the 
tunnel. 

The  trackmen  dropped  their  tools,  the  mine  foreman 
and  his  wife  joined  with  the  throng  of  miners  that 
surged  around  the  motor  and  the  strange  pair  that 
drove  it — a  pallid  gipsy  hunchback  and  a  half-fainting 
girl  with  a  face  like  a  flower. 

They  told  their  strange  story  to  sympathetic  ears. 
Turning  Esther  over  to  the  ministering  attentions  of 
the  big-hearted  sharer  of  his  joys  and  sorrows,  and 
leaving  Quabba  to  be  helped  down  from  the  motor  by 


The  Path  of  Peril  245 

hands  as  kind  though  rougher  than  the  womanly  hands 
that  had  assisted  Esther,  the  mine  boss  and  several 
assistants  reversed  the  motor  and  drove  back  into  the 
mine  depths  to  find,  dead  or  alive,  the  men  of  whom 
Esther  and  Quabba  had  told. 

They  returned  at  nightfall,  having  cleared  away 
the  debris  of  the  blast,  but  finding  no  trace  of  Luke 
Lovell  and  Blair  Stanley,  for  the  wicked  have  luck 
alike  with  the  good.  At  the  edge  of  the  blast  Blair 
Stanley  had  been  struck  down  and  hurt  slightly,  and 
Luke  had  borne  him  back  through  the  choking  smoke 
all  the  weary  way  whence  they  had  come,  until  they, 
too,  reached  daylight  and  safety,  as  Esther  and  Quabba 
had  reached  it,  but  on  the  far  side  of  the  mountain 
mine. 

That  night  by  the  fire  in  the  office  shack  of  the  mine 
boss,  Esther  and  Quabba  told  again  such  parts  of 
their  story  as  they  cared  to  tell  to  the  rough  but  sym 
pathetic  new-found  friends  around  them. 

Esther  told  of  her  search  for  Arthur,  calling  him 
only  by  the  name  that  he  was  known  by  as  oil  magnate 
and  owner  of  these  newly  acquired  mines.  She  also 
said  that  he  was  a  friend,  a  relative,  and  that,  for  rea 
sons  she  was  unable  to  solve,  the  desperate  men  who 
had  tracked  her  were  evidently  desirous  she  should 
not  meet  with  him. 

"Mr.  John  Powell  is  a  fine  young  man,  my  dear," 
said  the  stout  and  kindly  wife  of  the  mine  boss. 
"I  will  take  good  care  of  you,  and  in  the  morning  my 
husband  will  have  one  of  the  boys  drive  you  to  the 
railroad  station.  Mr.  Powell  has  gone  to  Santa  Bar- 


246  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

bara.  They  say  he  has  bought  a  beautiful  new  yacht, 
which  is  there  to  meet  him.  He  will  protect  you  and 
take  care  of  you,  I  know.  As  for  those  rascals  you 
got  away  from,  it  is  fourteen  rough  miles  across  the 
mountain  trail  from  the  north  portal  of  the  tunnel. 
If  they  escaped  with  their  lives,  they  will  hardly  make 
their  way  over  the  mountains  to-night." 

"If  they  come  this  way  I  promise  them  a  warm 
reception!"  remarked  the  mine  boss  grimly.  "The 
boys  are  just  naturally  pining  to  get  hold  of  those 
two  fellows.  There  will  be  work  for  the  coroner  if  we 
catch  them!" 

Esther  trembled  and  gazed  into  the  fire.  In  the 
glowing  flames  she  seemed  to  see  the  handsome,  reso 
lute  face  of  Arthur  gazing  at  her  with  the  loving, 
tender  expression  his  eyes  had  held  when  last  he  had 
clasped  her  in  his  arms. 

Outside,  the  moon  hung  like  a  silver  shield  over 
the  mountain,  its  pale  reflection  softening  the  rough 
sides  of  the  rugged  canyon  to  tender  grays  and  blues. 


The  moon  shone  on  the  waters  of  Santa  Barbara 
Bay.  It  shone  down  upon  the  broad  white  deck  of 
a  great  yacht  that  moved  majestically  across  the  wa 
ters.  Beneath  the  moon,  the  sensuous  strains  of  an 
alien  love  song,  chanted  in  a  minor  key,  arose. 

In  snowy  white,  with  flower  garlands  on  their 
breasts,  a  Hawaiian  orchestra  played  the  "Love  Song 
of  the  Sky  Flowers."  It  is  seductively  sweet  in  the 
vernacular.  In  English  it  may  be  sung: 


The  Path  of  Peril  247 

"Beloved,  the  stars  are  sky-flowers  in  the  night! 

The  flowers  are  ground-stars,  dear,  by  day. 
And  all  the  air  is  soft  for  your  delight, 
Then  let  us  love,  sweetheart,  while  yet  we  may!" 

Beneath  the  moon,  a  chaplet  of  flowers  in  her  hair, 
setting  off  her  languorous  beauty,  reclines  Vivian 
Marston.  Near  her  is  Arthur  Stanley,  alias  John 
Powell,  enthralled,  enraptured  under  the  spell  of 
Vivian's  alluring  charms,  the  sensuousness  of  the 
Hawaiian  love  song  of  the  "Sky  Flowers"  and  the 
magic  of  the  moonlight  over  all! 

A  day  begun  dramatically  by  a  flirtation  with  death, 
an  evening  of  romance  beneath  the  moon — this,  too,  is 
a  flirtation  of  death — to  all  that  is  wholesome,  good 
and  true! 

Under  the  spell  of  Vivian's  languorous  eyes,  John 
Powell  treads  the  Path  of  Peril  in  his  turn,  but  the 
path  is  not  plain  to  him,  for  it  is  hidden  by  deadly 
flowers! 

The  flowers  on  the  Path  of  Peril  seem  sweet  and 
fair  to  him;  they  may  be  such  as  are  in  the  chaplet 
on  Vivian's  dark  locks,  for  Arthur  bends  over  these 
and  murmurs:  "I  would  give  you  anything  in  the 
world!" 

An  eager  glow  comes  into  Vivian's  dangerous  eyes, 
a  deeper  flush  suffuses  her  fair  cheeks.  "You  would 
give  me  anything  in  the  world?"  she  whispers.  "Then 
get  me  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky'!" 

"It  has  disappeared  utterly  off  the  earth,"  answers 
Arthur.  "If  it  comes  to  light,  it  may  not  be  mine 
to  give ! "  And  he  leans  over  to  clasp  her  in  his  arms. 
But,  pouting  like  a  child  denied,  Vivian  holds  him 


248  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

aloof.  "You  do  not  care  for  me,"  she  says  with  af 
fected  plain  tiveness,  "or  you  would  promise!" 

And  Arthur,  such  is  the  witchery  of  a  wanton 
woman,  such  is  the  magic  of  the  moonlight,  promises 
her. 

Again  the  Hawaiian  "Love  Song  of  the  Sky  Flowers" 
rises,  and  Vivian  sings  it  soft  and  low: 

"Beloved,  the  stars  are  sky-flowers  in  the  night! 

The  flowers  are  ground-stars,  dear,  by  day. 
And  all  the  air  is  soft  for  your  delight, 
Then  let  us  love,  sweetheart,  while  yet  we  may!" 

The  magic  of  the  moon  spreads  over  the  sea.  Its 
magic  is  over  the  mountain  far  away,  where  Esther 
dreams  of  Arthur. 

Yet  the  magic  of  the  moon  casts  no  spell  over  one 
Frank  Durand.  In  far-away  New  York,  Durand  has 
no  dreams  or  illusions.  He  is  a  practical  person,  is 
Frank  Durand,  known  in  the  sphere  that  he  adorns 
as  "the  King  of  Diamonds,"  for  he  is  the  moving  spirit 
of  a  band  of  international  jewel  thieves  and  swindlers. 

Mr.  Abe  Bloom,  prosperous  gambling-house  keeper  in 
Richmond,  is  almost  in  despair  about  the  great  dia 
mond  that  slipped  through  his  fingers.  In  his  despair 
and  desperation,  Mr.  Bloom  has  writtten  to  Mr. 
Durand,  his  New  York  acquaintance  of  the  upper 
under  world. 

Mr.  Bloom's  letter  to  the  wily  Durand  is  brief  and 
blunt: 

MY  DEAR  DURAND: 

The  last  heard  of  "The  Diamond  from  the  Sky"  was  that 
train  robbers  stole  it  in  California.    If  you  and  your  bunch  of 


The  Path  of  Peril  249 

crooks  can  get  it,  I  have  a  syndicate  to  pay  you  your  own 
price.  Further  details  later.  Our  mutual  friend,  Vivian,  is 
after  it.  Am  afraid  she  will  double-cross  us.  This  diamond 
is  worth  half  a  million  dollars  and  is  some  spark,  believe  me ! 

Yours, 

ABE  BLOOM. 

In  his  luxurious  bachelor  apartments,  "the  King  of 
Diamonds"  receives  his  alert  lieutenant,  Felix  de  Vaux, 
alias  Count  de  Vaux,  and  shows  him  the  letter  from 
the  sententious  Mr.  Bloom. 

"So  our  old  friend  Vivian  is  after  this  diamond?" 
says  the  dapper  little  Count  as  he  turns  and  faces  the 
framed  photograph  of  Vivian  Marston  that  occupies 
a  place  of  honor  in  Durand's  apartments.  "Vi*  was 
always  clever.  Remember,  she  wrote  about  this 
stone?" 

The  handsome  Durand  strokes  his  close-cropped 
Vandyke  beard  and  muses.  "I  always  thought  that 
diamond  was  a  myth,"  he  says  finally.  "So  many  of 
these  old  and  supposedly  priceless  heirlooms  turn  out 
to  be  junk  when  an  expert  gets  his  hands  on  them." 
And  Mr.  Frank  Durand  placed  a  peculiar  emphasis 
on  the  word  "expert." 

"Well,"  interjected  the  dapper  little  Count,  "if  Abe 
Bloom  says  there  is  such  a  stone  and  that  it  is  worth 
half  a  million,  you  can  be  sure  it  is  a  real  diamond 
and  worth  much  more.  Abe  Bloom  and  his  little 
brother  Ike,  the  pawnbroker,  are  two  of  the  best 
judges  of  diamonds  in  the  country." 

"We  should  know  that,"  assents  Durand;  "we  have 
paid  them  well  more  than  once  to  come  on  to  New 
York  and  appraise  stones  for  us  when  we  were 


250  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky- 

in  doubt.  And  now,  good-night.  We  start  West  to 
morrow.  Pleasant  dreams  about  'The  Diamond  from 
the  Sky'  to  you,  Felix!" 

Pleasant  dreams  about  "The  Diamond  from  the 
Sky"! 

Vivian  Marston,  three  thousand  miles  away,  dreams 
of  it.  Quabba,  a  humble  hunchback  organ-grinder, 
sleeping  by  a  fire  in  a  mine  shed,  dreams  of  it,  too.  No 
selfish  dream  is  Quabba's.  There  is  one  person  in  all 
the  earth  he  loves  above  all  others  and  that  one  is  his 
fair  young  mistress,  Esther.  So  Quabba  longs  and 
dreams  of  the  great  jewel  that  he  has  found  and  lost 
so  strangely  twice  in  his  lowly  life.  He  longs  for 
the  diamond  that  he  may  give  it  to  his  fair  young 
mistress  as  a  tribute  from  her  devoted  servitor. 

In  his  dreams,  Quabba  beholds  Clarence,  the  mon 
key,  his  next  best  beloved,  and  from  whom  he  has  been 
long  parted.  And  in  his  black  and  hairy  paws,  Clar 
ence,  the  monkey,  extends  to  his  master  the  diamond 
of  his  dreams.  Then  Quabba  wakes  and  sleeps  again, 
perchance  again  to  dream. 

Far  away  in  the  wilderness,  Marmaduke  Smythe, 
cursing  a  fate  that  led  him  to  lose  himself  in  these 
trackless  wastes,  dreams,  too,  by  a  dying  fire.  But 
his  dreams  are  not  of  diamonds.  He  dreams  a  hor 
rid  savage  leers  at  him  through  a  monocle.  A  sav 
age  who  is  a  stickler  for  the  niceties.  For  even  in  his 
dreams  the  timid  London  lawyer  knows  that  it  is 
night,  and  he  is  impressed  by  the  fact  that  the  sav 
age  about  to  scalp  him  is  attired  in  a  dress  coat.  The 
lawyer  wakes  with  a  shriek  of  fear,  and  on  his  ears  fall 
the  harsh  croaking  of  the  unseen  enemies  who  con- 


The  Path  of  Peril  251 

stantly  alarm  him.  Not  redskins,  as  he  thinks,  but 
greenskins;  not  savages  in  ambush,  but  frogs  in  the 
marsh.  Stirred  by  the  frightful  memory  of  hie  dream, 
Marmaduke  Smythe  springs  to  his  feet  and  discharges 
his  shotgun  into  the  marsh. 

"Ha!"  he  says,  "I  must  jolly  well  have  exterminated 
the  savage  Iroquois !  I  will  reconnoitre !  But  caution, 
Marmaduke,  caution!"  he  counsels  himself.  "They 
are  silent  now ;  perhaps  they  are  endeavoring  to  draw 
me  into  an  ambuscade!" 

He  creeps  forward  stealthily  and  parts  the  bushes 
by  a  marsh  puddle.  There  lies  the  corpse  of  his  foe- 
man,  a  great  green  frog  extremely  defunct.  Nearby, 
caught  in  the  low  tangle  of  marsh  shrubbery,  is  a 
curious  gleaming  object  in  the  moonlight.  The  lawyer 
stoops  down  and  picks  it  up. 

It  is  the  spoil  the  pelican  despised  when  he  shook 
it  from  the  fish  that  brought  it  from  the  depths. 
Worthless  to  fish  or  fowl,  the  eccentric  London  lawyer 
grasps  it  with  a  startled  cry  of  wonder  and  surprise. 

Marmaduke  Smythe  has  "The  Diamond  from  the 
Sky"! 


CHAPTER  XVII 

THE  KING  OF  DIAMONDS  AND  THE  QUEEN 
OF  HEARTS 

DOWN  the  rough  mountain  road,  turning 
abrupt  and  dangerous  curves,  skirting  the 
edge  of  sheer  precipices,  the  buckboard  sped 
on  its  thirty-mile  trip  from  the  south  portal 
of  the  mine  tunnel  in  the  mountain  to  the  small  depot 
that  was  the  nearest  rail  connection  of  the  mines  with 
civilization. 

Engaged  with  his  team,  the  driver  had  little  oppor 
tunity  in  the  first  wild  stretches  of  the  rough,  steep 
road  from  the  mines  to  speak  to  Esther,  although  his 
frank  young  face  was  wreathed  with  a  cheerful  smile 
of  appreciation  at  the  honor  he  felt  was  his  in  con 
voying  so  fair  a  young  woman,  and  so  odd  and  inter 
esting  a  personage  as  the  droll  foreign  Quabba,  en 
sconced  on  the  back  of  the  buckboard. 

"Pretty  rough  road,  Miss!"  ventured  the  driver  as 
the  horses  steadied  down  to  a  canter  on  a  level  and 
somewhat  wider  and  safer  stretch  of  the  way  than 
they  had  encountered  before. 

"You  see,  it's  this  way,"  the  young  miner  went  on, 
"John  Powell,  the  millionaire,  has  bought  the  mines 
and  he  will  have  a  railroad  run  up  the  valley  and 
we  will  tram  the  ore  down  to  it.  But  just  now  the 

252 


King  of  Diamonds  and  Queen  of  Hearts       253 

ore  has  to  be  teamed  for  thirty  miles  to  the  rail 
road.  It  is  a  good  thing  it's  all  downhill  and  only  the 
empty  wagons  have  to  come  back.  We  had  twenty- 
horse  teams  pulling  parts  of  the  machinery  to  the 
mines." 

Esther  listened  to  the  driver  with  seeming  atten 
tion,  but  her  thoughts  were  far  away.  The  old  feud 
of  the  Stanleys  would  not  down.  Girl  though  she  was, 
Esther  felt  inspired  with  blood-hatred,  which  is  as 
strong  as  blood's  more  kindlier  ties,  and  stronger. 
That  Blair  was  in  her  thoughts,  more  in  contempt  than 
fear,  while  of  his  gipsy  companion  and  accomplice, 
Luke  Lovell,  she  thought  not  at  all,  may  not  seem 
strange,  if  propinquity  has  the  subtle  influence  it  is 
supposed  to  have. 

As  the  buckboard  sped  along  toward  the  base  of 
the  mountain,  Blair  Stanley  and  Luke  Lovell  had 
gained  the  mountain  summit  in  their  long  and  ar 
duous  tramp  from  the  mine  portal  on  the  other  side 
of  the  range.  Blair's  field-glasses  were  focussed  upon 
Esther,  at  the  very  moment  her  mind's  eye  was 
focussed  upon  him. 

"There  goes  Esther!"  cried  Blair,  putting  down  the 
glasses  and  pointing  to  the  buckboard  that  moved, 
a  mere  speck  to  the  naked  eye,  along  the  road  far 
down  below.  "We  can  intercept  her  by  dropping 
straight  down  this  cursedly  steep  mountain,"  Blair 
added. 

Luke  grunted  a  surly  assent  and  the  two  desperate 
adventurers,  the  gentleman,  so  called,  and  the  gipsy, 
started  down  the  rough,  straight  mountain  trail  at  as 
brisk  a  pace  as  they  dared  attempt.  To  Luke  Lovell 


254  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

the  thought  that  his  fortune  would  be  made  by  aid 
ing  Blair  in  his  purposes  was  tempered  with  a  feel 
ing  that  he  was  disloyal  to  his  Romany  ties,  for  Esther 
was  a  gipsy  and  the  daughter  of  Hagar,  Luke 
believed. 

Still,  as  though  dominated  by  Blair's  more  keen  and 
sinister  intellect,  the  gipsy  outlaw  followed  the  des 
perate  Virginia  wastrel,  seemingly  with  a  brute-like 
fidelity. 

As  Blair  and  Luke  speed  down  the  mountain  over  a 
rocky  and  half-obliterated  trail  to  intercept  Esther, 
Marmaduke  Smythe,  guiding  himself  by  the  sun,  plods 
along  the  road  at  the  base  of  the  mountain.  Marma 
duke  Smythe  is  embued  with  one  idea.  The  idea  is 
that  "England,  home  and  beauty,"  as  he  expresses  it 
to  himself,  lies  to  the  East.  So  at  sunrise  he  has  faced 
the  East  and  plodded  from  his  camp-fire,  carrying  the 
suitcase,  his  gun  and  the  deer  head,  which  more  and 
more  he  has  come  to  believe  is  a  bona-fide  trophy  of 
his  prowess  as  a  hunter  in  the  American  jungle. 

"The  Diamond  from  the  Sky"  means  little  or  noth 
ing  to  Marmaduke  Smythe.  "How  it  came  on  the  veldt 
I  cannot  for  the  life  of  me  imagine,"  he  muses.  "I 
only  know  I  am  a  bally  ass  ever  to  have  left  Eng 
land  to  find  the  Yankee  heir  to  the  Stanley  Earldom. 
Here,"  he  went  on  as  he  plodded  wearily  along  in 
heavy  marching  order,  "here  I  come  to  find  the  heir 
for  an  English  Earldom,  and  find  the  heirloom  of,  as 
his  late  Lordship  was  wonted  to  say  so  fittingly,  'the 
blasted  Yankee  relatives' ! 

"I  shall  jolly  well  soon  be  relieved  of  its  responsi 
bility,  getting  a  proper  receipt,  of  course,  and  return 


King  of  Diamonds  and  Queen  of  Hearts       255 

to  England,  which  is  a  safe  and  proper  country  to 
live  in,"  he  soliloquizes.  "Then,  if  the  American  Stan 
leys  want  the  Stanley  Earldom,  let  them  come  to  Eng 
land  for  it.  It  has  brought  me  twice  to  this  most 
barbarous  country,  a  country  of  vast  and  astonishing 
distances,  but  it  is  the  last  time!  'I  am  going  home  to 
die  no  more,'  as  the  Yankee  Blackamoors  sing  in  their 
plantation  melodies,  'way  down  south  in  Michigan!' ' 

These  reveries  were  ended  abruptly  by  a  succes 
sion  of  pistol  shots.  The  startled  lawyer  next  hears  a 
pounding  clatter  of  hoofs  and  the  rattle  of  wheels  com 
ing  behind  him. 

"Again  the  savage  Iroquois  have  tracked  me  down!" 
he  cried  and  stood  stock-still,  too  frightened  to  move. 
Then  he  felt  himself  bowled  over  and  his  belongings 
scattered  in  the  dust. 

The  horses  attached  to  a  buckboard  had  gone  over 
him  and  had  knocked  him  down,  but  fortunately  both 
hoofs  and  wheels  had  missed  him,  the  horses  shying 
to  the  mountain  side  of  the  road. 

Smythe,  picking  himself  up,  saw  that  the  wagon  was 
driven  by  the  pretty  girl  who  had  shared  the  coach 
with  him,  just  previous  to  the  wreck  that  had  made 
him  what  he  was  now,  a  wanderer  in  the  wilderness. 
But  hardships  and  adventure  had  sharpened  the  wits 
of  the  London  lawyer.  He  gave  a  willing  hand  to 
help  bring  the  horses  out  of  their  tangle  of  harness 
against  the  hillside,  and  was  quick  to  accept  the  proffer 
of  a  lift  from  the  mysterious  young  lady  and  the 
strange  foreign-looking  hunchback  with  her. 

The  lawyer  briskly  piled  his  chattels  on  the  buck- 
board  and  hopped  nimbly  on  the  back,  and  was  speed- 


256  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

ing  on,  all  within  the  space  of  a  few  seconds.  He 
gleaned  from  the  comments  of  his  rescuers  that  they 
had  been  attacked  by  two  men  on  foot,  and  that  the 
driver  of  the  vehicle  had  been  shot  and  lay  back  in 
the  road,  wounded  or  dead. 

A  cold  sweat  broke  out  upon  the  brow  of  Marma- 
duke  Smythe.  "Actually,"  he  thought  to  himself,  for 
the  vibration  of  the  buckboard  slats  kept  him  mute, 
"actually,  these  wild  Americans  seem  to  take  pistoling 
as  an  everyday  matter,  like  having  muffins  for  tea 
at  home  in  England!" 

Luke  and  Blair  had  failed  again.  They  had  inter 
cepted  the  buckboard  and  had  shot  down  the  brave 
young  miner,  who  had  refused  to  halt  at  their  sudden 
shouts  when  they  had  sprung  out  from  the  brush  of 
the  hillside  to  the  road. 

"They  have  killed  me!  Drive  on  and  save  your 
selves!"  had  been  the  last  words  of  the  driver,  and 
even  as  he  had  fallen  or  had  thrown  himself  from 
the  seat  he  had  struck  the  horses  a  quick,  heavy  blow 
with  the  whip.  The  maddened  horses  left  the  pursu 
ing  Luke  and  Blair  far  behind.  But  at  a  fork  in  the 
road,  the  horses  took  the  wrong  turn  and  went  astray. 
Realizing  this,  Esther,  Smythe  and  Quabba  made  camp 
and  waited  till  daybreak. 

Around  their  small  camp-fire,  which  they  sheltered 
with  rocks  in  order  not  to  attract  attention,  the  three, 
so  strangely  thrown  together,  recounted  the  eventful 
adventures  that  had  befallen  them  since  the  wrecking 
of  the  coach. 

"It  is  a  coincidence,  my  dear  young  lady,"  Marma- 
duke  Smythe  remarked  finally,  "that  you  are  seeking 


King  of  Diamonds  and  Queen  of  Hearts        257 

for  this  very  elusive  young  millionaire,  John  Powell, 
too.  I  have  a  letter  for  him  from  that  very  astute 
chap,  Blake,  the  Richmond  detective.  This  Blake 
is  a  most  reticent  person,  but  he  assured  me  that  if 
I  came  to  California  and  saw  this  John  Powell,  the 
latter  would  help  me  to  locate  Arthur  Stanley.  It  is 
my  duty  to  locate  Arthur  Stanley. 

"Whether  he  is  a  ticket-of-leave  man  or  is  to  be 
lynched  or  remain  a  fugitive,  is  not  in  my  province  to 
argue.  He  is  the  heir  to  the  Stanley  Earldom.  But 
frankly,  young  lady,  if  England  expects  me  to  go  any 
farther  in  doing  my  duty  in  this  matter,  England 
is  vastly  mistaken.  I  am  going  back  as  soon  as  I 
can  find  a  train  and  boat  to  take  me.  If  you  are 
seeking  this  John  Powell  also,  will  you  ask  him  to  con 
vey  this  to  Arthur  Stanley?  Oddly  enough,  although  I 
am  not  at  all  surprised  at  anything  that  happens  to  me 
in  America,  I  found  this  yesterday  when  attacked  by 
Indians — I  heard  their  war-whoops  distinctly — on  the 
veldt,  or  rather  in  a  marsh!" 

And  to  the  amazement  of  Esther  and  Quabba,  the 
English  lawyer  brought  from  his  breast  pocket,  in  the 
most  matter-of-fact  manner,  "The  Diamond  from  the 
Sky."  _ 

Again  and  again  the  Englishman  explained  the 
strange  manner  of  its  finding.  Esther  and  Quabba 
could  not  grasp  or  solve  the  mystery  of  the  strange 
reappearance  of  the  priceless  Stanley  heirloom  here  in 
this  wild  land. 

As  for  Smythe,  he  only  asked  to  be  rid  of  it.  "I 
wish  no  further  responsibilities,  and  I  would  not  stay 
on  the  veldt  or  in  the  jungles  of  America  for  a  leather 


258  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

hatbox  full  of  'Diamonds  from  the  Sky,'  "  he  added. 
"So  please  deliver  it  to  this  Mr.  Powell,  for  Arthur 
Stanley,  with  my  compliments,  exacting,  of  course,  a 
receipt." 

As  he  said  the  words,  he  wrote  a  brief  acknowl 
edgment  in  his  notebook  and  tendered  the  book  and 
his  fountain  pen  to  Esther,  adding:  "Please  sign, 
Miss  Harding!" 

But  when  Esther  affixed  her  name  boldly,  "Esther 
Stanley,"  the  lawyer  scratched  his  head  in  a  puzzled 
manner.  But,  although  he  was  puzzled,  he  was  not 
surprised.  Nothing  that  could  happen  in  America  ever 
surprised  Marmaduke  Smythe.  But  he  bared  his  head 
and  kissed  her  hand — a  gentleman  of  the  old  school 
saluting  a  daughter  of  the  Stanleys  of  the  blood! 

Esther  clasped  the  diamond  around  her  neck.  By 
every  right  and  title  it  belonged  to  her.  The  impulse 
of  grim  determination  that  had  actuated  her  father 
to  rob  her  of  her  birthright  in  order  that  the  great 
gem  might  never  go  to  Blair  Stanley,  his  enemy's 
child,  was  the  impulse  that  made  Esther's  heart  beat 
resolutely  with  the  same  resolve. 

Yet  if  the  Stanley  heirloom  was  in  sooth  the  Stan 
ley  "Charm  Against  Harm,"  Esther  Stanley  needed 
its  protecting  influence  now! 

The  next  day,  the  delay  and  losing  their  way,  giv 
ing  their  enemies  chance  to  overtake  them  on  horses 
stolen  from  a  lonely  ranch  in  the  valley,  Marmaduke 
Smythe  was  jolted  from  his  place  at  the  back  of  the 
buckboard.  His  discomfiture,  however,  aided  Esther 
and  Quabba.  For  the  horses  of  Luke  and  Blair 
had  shied  off  at  the  squirming  figure  of  the  lawyer 


[King  of  Diamonds  and  Queen  of  Hearts       259 

in  the  road,  and  when  Blair  and  Luke  had  resumed 
pursuit,  Esther  and  Quabba  had  reached  the  little  rail 
road  station  and  safety. 


In  Los  Angeles,  Vivian  Marston  still  weaves  the 
spell  of  her  charms  about  Arthur.  She  is  the  first  to 
be  taken  to  view  the  wonderful  Aladdin's  palace  that 
he,  as  the  millionaire  oil  man  and  mine  owner,  John 
Powell,  has  built  in  Los  Angeles.  It  is  a  fitting  home 
to  house  the  woman  who  dreams  of  possessing  "The 
Diamond  from  the  Sky"! 

Vivian  resolves  that  this  shall  be  the  greatest  adven 
ture  of  her  adventurous  career.  She  does  not  realize 
that  it  is  the  plan  and  not  the  price,  the  battle  and 
not  the  victory,  the  desire  and  not  the  accomplishment, 
that  is  the  motif  that  actuates  all  who  desperately  do 
or  dare. 

But  as  a  philosopher  wisely  said,  "Everybody  has 
a  past!"  It  is  not  the  things  we  do  nor  the  things  we 
are  going  to  do  that  sway  our  course  so  much  as  the 
things  we  have  done. 

Vivian  was  parting  with  John  Powell  at  the  door  of 
her  hotel.  Her  eyes  were  bright,  her  cheeks  were 
flushed.  Never  had  she  been  so  interested  or  so  happy. 
Her  admirer's  infatuation  was  complete.  Vivian  only 
waited  till  the  diamond  was  seen  again  of  men.  Then 
she  knew  it  would  be  hers! 

But  everybody  has  a  past.  At  the  door  of  her  hotel, 
as  she  smiled  her  most  dazzling  smile  in  farewell  to 
John  Powell,  a  dapper  young  Frenchman  attired  in  the 
height  of  fashion,  stumbled  against  her. 


260  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

"A  thousand  pardons!"  he  cried,  and  lifting  his  hat 
he  bowed  sweepingly  to  Vivian  and  then  to  Arthur, 
waiting  at  the  curb  by  his  limousine. 

As  Vivian  blanched,  for  she  recognized  the  little 
Frenchman,  she  felt  a  card  pressed  into  her  hand,  the 
passing  of  the  card  being  hidden  by  the  stranger's  hat. 
She  deftly  hid  the  card  in  the  lace  cuff  of  her  sleeve, 
and  the  little  Frenchman  murmured  his  apologies 
again,  and  was  gone. 

Vivian  hardly  remembered  how  she  had  said  good 
bye  and  reached  her  room.  Strong  as  was  her  will 
and  resolution,  she  felt  her  hand  tremble  as  she  plucked 
the  card  from  her  sleeve.  She  had  hardly  need  to  look. 
It  was  a  playing  card — the  King  of  Diamonds! 

Vivian  struck  a  match  and  applied  it  to  the  corner 
of  the  card.  The  face  of  the  card  burned,  shrivelled 
and  passed  off  in  smoke.  There  on  the  backing  in 
bold  masculine  handwriting  was  a  message: 

To  THE  QUEEN  OF  HEARTS: 

You  will  work  with  us.    We  are  after  "The  Diamond  from 
the  Sky." 

(Signed)  THE  KING  OF  DIAMONDS. 

"Frank  Durand!"  she  gasped,  "Frank  Durand!" 
She  clenched  the  scorched  card  till  it  crumpled  to 
a  shapeless  mass.  Her  past  had  come  back.  The 
past  of  Monte  Carlo,  and  of  Egypt;  a  past  that  meant 
the  police  and  flight,  a  past  that  meant  waste  and 
folly  and  wealth  ill-gained  and  quickly  dissipated;  a 
past  that  was  her  youth,  a  youth  of  precocious  beauty 
and  charm  and  even  more  precocious  villainies  of  vel 
vet  and  gems! 


King  of  Diamonds  and  Queen  of  Hearts        261 

And  now,  Durand,  the  King  of  Diamonds,  called 
upon  her  with  all  the  might  and  right  of  these  crim 
inal  bonds  of  old  association.  Now  if  she  gained  "The 
Diamond  from  the  Sky"  this  star  among  jewels  would 
not  blaze  upon  her  breast;  it  would  be  sold  as  swag  and 
divided  up  as  plunder  by  Durand,  the  international 
swindler  and  gem  thief,  the  notorious  King  of  Dia 
monds. 

The  King  of  Diamonds! 

She  remembered  now  her  part  in  the  game.  She 
was  the  Queen  of  Hearts!  The  decoy!  And  Vivian 
Marston  beat  her  tender  hands  against  the  wall  until 
they  were  bruised  and  swollen,  and  bit  her  lips  till 
the  blood  came. 

She  knew  now  whom  she  had  to  fight,  their  cruelty 
and  their  cunning.  But  she  resolved  to  match  cruelty 
and  cunning  with  her  beauty  and  her  woman's  wit. 
This  time  she  would  stack  the  cards.  The  Queen  of 
Hearts  would  play  against  her  old  confederates  for 
"The  Diamond  from  the  Sky"! 

At  Santa  Barbara,  Esther  and  Quabba  arrive  and 
there  they  learn  that  the  beautiful  new  yacht  belong 
ing  to  John  Powell  is  still  in  the  harbor.  Esther  re 
solves  to  visit  Arthur  on  board  unannounced,  taking 
with  her  the  Stanley  heirloom  and  the  Stanley  docu 
ment.  For  she  has  passed  by  the  wrecked  coach  and 
recovered  the  fateful  paper  where  she  had  hidden  it 
from  Blair  and  Luke. 

Esther  does  not  know  that  Blair  has  knowledge  of 
John  Powell  and  his  yacht.  But  Blair  having  no 
cause  for  secrecy  when  he  arrived  in  Santa  Barbara, 
has  not  remained  hidden  at  a  hotel  as  Esther  has — 


262  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

the  discreet  Quabba  also  keeping  from  sight — so  Blair 
learns  John  Powell  has  left  the  yacht  and  has  returned 
to  Los  Angeles  on  business. 

Unless  Esther  has  communicated  with  Arthur, 
which  Blair  does  not  deem  likely,  Arthur  has  no  rea 
son  as  yet  to  suspect  him,  Blair  knows.  In  his  daring 
way,  Blair  is  indifferent.  He  telegraphs  to  John  Pow 
ell  that  he  has  arrived  in  Santa  Barbara  and  is  dis 
appointed  in  missing  him. 

Arthur,  receiving  the  telegram,  wires  Blair  to  stay 
on  the  yacht  till  he  returns.  For  the  sake  of  the  old 
associations  of  their  wild  youth  in  Virginia  and  be 
cause  he  has  the  generous  desire  to  make  amends  for 
the  injustice  he  thinks  he  has  done  Blair,  Arthur  re 
joices  that  his  whilom  cousin  has  come  West. 

At  present  it  is  Vivian's  wish  to  keep  Blair  from 
Los  Angeles.  The  time  may  come  when  she  may 
need  him  there  when  she  battles  against  Durand,  the 
King  of  Diamonds,  and  the  rest  of  "the  pack,"  as  they 
call  themselves. 

How  she  is  to  exert  her  wiles  upon  Arthur  in  the 
proximity  of  Blair,  is  a  matter  that  Vivian  leaves  to 
time  and  the  place. 

Blair  and  the  sailing  master  of  the  yacht  get  their 
telegraphed  instructions  from  John  Powell  and  when 
Blair  goes  aboard,  he  finds  the  sailing  master  and  a 
few  of  the  men  of  one  watch  aboard,  the  rest  of  the 
crew  having  been  given  shore  leave  in  the  absence  of 
the  owner. 

"Make  yourself  at  home,  Mr.  Stanley,"  says  the 
sailing  master.  "You  will  find  things  in  Mr.  Powell's 
cabin." 


King  of  Diamonds  and  Queen  of  Hearts        263 

"I  will  need  a  good  deal  of  fixing  up,"  Blair  explains 
laughingly.  "My  man  and  I  got  lost  in  the  moun 
tains  while  hunting,"  and  he  indicates  Luke,  who  had 
come  aboard  with  him. 

"Let  your  man  go  to  the  forecastle  and  I  will  see  that 
he  is  fitted  out,"  said  the  sailing  master.  "As  for  you, 
sir,  I  take  it  from  Mr.  Powell's  telegram  you  are  to 
help  yourself  to  what  you  wish  of  his  things,  till  your 
own  are  sent  for." 

The  sailing  master  led  Blair  to  John  Powell's  cabin, 
and  then  said  he  would  take  the  launch  to  the  wharf 
and  round  up  the  crew  in  Santa  Barbara.  "Which," 
he  added,  "won't  be  hard  to  do,  as  Santa  Barbara  is 
a  temperance  town.  It  is  only  a  question  of  which  one 
of  the  movie  shows  the  men  are  at." 

As  the  yacht  launch  panted  to  the  wharf,  the  sail 
ing  master  and  the  man  running  the  launch  were  aware 
of  a  Tery  pretty  girl  being  rowed  in  the  direction  of 
Johc  Powell's  yacht  by  a  hunchback  of  foreign  aspect. 
The  sailing  master  noticed  the  girl  in  the  rowboat 
eyed  him  keenly,  but  turned  as  though  disappointed, 
and  again  directed  her  gaze  toward  the  yacht. 

Arriving  by  the  companionway,  Esther  cautioned 
Quabba  to  make  no  explanation  if  questioned,  as  she 
wished  to  give  Arthur  the  happy  surprise  of  facing  him 
unannounced.  But  no  sailor  on  watch  barred  her  way 
nor  were  any  questions  shouted  over  the  rail  to  Quabba. 

The  yacht  swung  idly  at  anchor,  and  such  of  the 
crew  as  were  on  the  boat  were  in  the  forecastle  with 
the  gipsy  fellow  who  had  come  aboard  with  the  friend 
of  the  owner. 

Here  the  bottle  of  whiskey  that  Luke  had  brought 


264  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

was  augmented  by  some  liquor  of  the  same  quality  one 
of  the  sailors  had  in  his  bunk,  and  a  jovial  drinking 
bout  was  in  progress. 

In  John  Powell's  cabin,  Blair  had  refreshed  himself 
with  a  bath  and  had  donned  fresh  linen  and  a  yacht 
ing  suit  of  the  owner's.  The  two  young  men  were  of 
the  same  size  and  John  Powell's  uniform  coat  and  cap 
fitted  Blair  to  a  nicety. 

Esther  crossed  the  deck,  but  saw  no  sailor  or  officer 
in  charge.  She  heard  some  one  stirring  abaft  and 
there,  in  what  was  evidently  the  owner's  cabin,  she 
noted  a  tall  and  stalwart  young  man  in  uniform,  his 
back  turned  to  the  open  door. 

Esther  tiptoed  forward,  and  pulling  the  diamond 
out  into  view  upon  her  neck,  her  lips  framed  the  word, 
"Arthur!"  Then  she  found  herself  gazing  horrified 
into  a  mirror  that  reflected  the  handsome  but  wicked 
face  of  Blair! 

Esther  turned  with  a  cry  for  help  and  sped  across 
the  deck.  There,  from  the  doorway  to  the  forecastle, 
the  bulky  form  of  a  leering  sodden  brute  creature  faced 
her.  It  was  Luke  Lovell! 

Esther  turned  and  darted  to  one  side,  missing  the 
clutching  grasp  of  Blair  Stanley  by  a  hair's  breadth. 
The  sudden  revulsion  from  hope  and  happiness  to  fear 
and  despair,  had  driven  her  to  a  frenzy  of  sudden 
fright. 

As  though  upon  the  wings  of  fear,  she  fled.  Hardly 
knowing  what  she  did  save  that  she  escaped  her  ene 
mies,  Esther  plunged  over  the  sheer  side  of  the  yacht 
into  the  sea! 

Down,  down,  down  she  sank  into  the  cold  water, 


King  of  Diamonds  and  Queen  of  Hearts       265 

with  a  pressure  upon  her  heart  that  seemed  about  to 
burst  her  asunder.  The  strangling  sea  water  rasped 
her  tender  throat.  She  clutched  at  her  neck  instinc 
tively.  Her  hands  closed  upon  something  hard  and 
cold,  colder  than  the  cold  depths  in  which  she  sank — 
it  was  the  diamond — the  Stanleys'  "Charm  Against 
Harm!" 


CHAPTER   XVIII 
THE  CHARM  AGAINST  HARM 

QUABBA,  in  the  rowboat  by  the  bottom  of  the 
yacht's  companionway,  hears  the  struggle 
upon  the  deck  between  Blair  and  Luke,  for 
instinctively   these   two   have  grappled   as 
Esther,  to  escape  them  both,  plunged  over  the  side. 
It  seems  eternity  to  Quabba  and  a  voyage  to  the  gates 
of  death  to  the  strangling  girl  ere  her  head  comes  to 
the  surface.    But  though  weak,  she  clutches  the  rail 
of  the  rowboat  and  Quabba  draws  her  in,  wet  and 
dripping  and  gasping  for  breath. 

No  need  of  command  for  Quabba  if  Esther  could 
give  it.  He  heads  the  boat  straight  for  the  beach,  for 
already  he  can  see  the  sailing  master  on  the  wharf 
stairs  bringing  back  the  crew  from  their  shore  leave 
to  the  waiting  launch.  To  Quabba,  all  who  are  stran 
gers  are  enemies  and  he  heads  in  a  straight  line  for  the 
beach  and  the  breaking  surf,  a  half  mile  away.  What 
ever  it  was  that  has  caused  his  fair  mistress  to  jump 
into  the  sea,  it  is  enough  for  Quabba  to  hasten  from 
the  anchored  yacht  and  ask  no  questions. 

On  the  deck,  Luke  and  Blair  struggle  with  vicious 
ferocity.  The  few  half  drunken  sailors  aboard  tumble 
out  from  the  forecastle,  wild  with  excitement  and 
delight  at  the  splendid  smashing  scrap  between  the 

266 


The  Charm  against  Harm  267 

burly,  heavy-built  Luke  and  the  lithe  and  active  Blair. 

"Hey,  Bill!"  cries  one  of  the  sailors.  "It's  two  old 
friends  with  a  grudge,  for  sure!" 

Sensing  the  mistake  that  Luke  has  made  in  believ 
ing  he  drove  Esther  into  the  sea,  but  joying  in  the 
fight  and  longing  to  tear  the  brute  gipsy's  throat,  Blair 
fights  Luke  like  a  demon. 

"I  should  worry,  it  ain't  my  floating  palace  they 
are  mussing  up!"  exclaims  another  mariner.  And  he 
spoke  truly  in  one  sense,  for  like  maddened  beasts  the 
two  men  tore  at  each  other,  and  the  snowy  deck  of  the 
yacht  was  stained  with  blood  which  flowed  profusely 
from  both  combatants. 

Against  the  panelled  mahogany  of  the  cabin  side  the 
fighters  crashed,  smashing  and  splintering  glass  and 
woodwork.  In  sheer  tearing  rage,  they  grappled  and 
tore  at  each  other's  throats  and  eyes  like  madmen, 
and  then  with  a  swirl  the  two,  combining  all  their 
strength  to  dash  each  other  to  insensibility  and  death, 
plunged  from  the  smashed  cabin  side  at  the  centre  to 
the  stanchion  rail.  At  the  heavy  impact  of  the  two 
strong  bodies  flung  against  it,  the  rail  bent  outward 
and  the  stanchions  snapped  like  pipe  stems,  and  the 
two  men  locked  in  death  grips  went  over  the  side  and 
into  the  water,  kicking,  thrusting,  cursing. 

In  the  water,  the  more  active  Blair  loosened  hold 
and  dived  under.  Coming  to  the  surface,  he  waited 
for  the  gipsy's  head  to  appear,  and  when  Luke  rose  to 
the  surface  bubbling  and  gasping  for  breath,  Blair 
struck  him  a  smashing  blow  between  the  eyes  and  swam 
to  the  companionway. 

Half  stunned  and  half  strangled,  Luke  screamed  in 


268  The  Diamond  from  the 

an  inarticulate  insanity  of  rage  and  hate.  Then 
through  his  dull  mind  came  a  realization  that  Blair,  as 
friend  of  the  owner  of  the  yacht,  would  have  the  aid 
and  assistance  of  the  sailors. 

Leaving  the  matter  for  another  day  to  settle,  for 
Luke  was  of  a  nature  that  loved  to  nurse  and  cherish 
his  enmity,  the  gipsy  turned  and  swam  strongly  and 
doggedly  to  the  shore. 

Blair,  panting,  water  soaked  and  half  naked,  leaned 
over  the  rope  railing  of  the  companionway  and  looked 
after  Luke  with  that  respect  one  good  fighting  man 
has  for  another. 

"Hurt,  sir?"  a  sailor  asked  in  whiskey  scented  ac 
cents  in  his  ear. 

"Only  a  little  scratched,"  said  Blair,  noting  with 
some  satisfaction  that  the  cold  sea  water  had  checked 
the  bleeding  of  his  wounds. 

"The  poor  fellow  must  have  gone  roaring  mad," 
added  Blair  in  explanation.  "We  had  been  lost  in 
the  woods  for  some  days,  and  he  must  have  secured 
some  whiskey  and  gone  clean  crazy.  For  the  first 
thing  I  knew,  he  sprang  upon  me  fighting  like  a  mad 
dog!" 

It  was  this  same  explanation  that  Blair  made  to  the 
sailing  master,  when  the  latter  returned  in  the  launch 
with  the  sailors  from  their  shore  leave.  For  the  sailors 
left  in  the  forecastle  had  not  seen  or  known  of 
Esther's  boarding  the  yacht  in  search  of  Arthur, 
or  of  her  wild  leap  from  it  when  faced  by  Blair  and 
Luke.  Nor  had  the  sailing  master,  mustering 
his  men  at  the  end  of  the  street  leading  to  the  wharf 
at  the  time  of  Esther's  leap,  known  of  her  presence 


The  Charm  against  Harm  269 

aboard  the  yacht.  The  sailing  master  had  seen  the 
rowboat  with  Quabba  and  Esther  headed  straight  for 
the  beach,  but  the  rowboat  was  too  far  away  for 
even  keen  sailor  eyes  to  note  that  the  girl  was  weak 
and  wet. 

"I  have  heard  of  sailors  getting  homicidal  d.  t's," 
said  the  sailing  master,  "but  I  never  knew  a  landsman 
to  get  'em  that  quick.  He  seemed  a  quiet  fellow,  but 
he  was  a  tough  looking  customer,  and  you  must  be 
some  scrapper  yourself  to  have  stood  him  off!" 

The  two  sailors  who  had  witnessed  the  Titan  com 
bat  grinned,  for  it  had  been  a  bout  to  delight  the  eye. 
But  just  then  the  sailing  master  gave  a  sudden  cry. 

"Look  at  that  fool!  What  is  he  doing?  Trying  to 
commit  suicide?"  And  the  sailing  master  pointed  to 
the  beach  where  the  rowboat  with  the  tired,  unskilled 
hands  of  Quabba  on  the  oars,  was  negotiating  the  surf. 

"Shall  we  lower  a  boat,  sir?"  asked  one  of  the  sailors. 
"There  was  a  woman  spilled  from  the  boat  with  that 
awkward  landlubber!" 

The  sailing  master  shaded  his  eyes  with  his  hand 
and  then  said,  "By  George,  the  girl  can  swim  all  right! 
She  is  even  helping  the  landlubber.  They're  all  right. 
See,  the  fellow  with  her  is  asking  some  one  to  save  the 
boat.  There  is  quite  a  bunch  of  people  on  the 
beach  now,  and  our  crazy  friend  sees  them,  too,  and 
evidently  does  not  desire  to  be  questioned,  for  he  is 
striking  off  to  land  further  down  the  beach!" 

And  the  sailing  master  pointed  to  the  bobbing  head 
of  the  strongly  swimming  Luke,  a  mere  speck  above 
the  water,  half  way  to  the  shore. 

"The  people  on  the  beach  didn't  even  see  my  late 


270  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

friend  of  the  woods,"  remarked  Blair  with  a  cynical 
smile.  "Oh,  well,  let  the  poor  fellow  go.  The  cold 
water  will  bring  him  to  his  senses."  And  Blair  turned 
and  went  toward  the  cabin  to  make  another  change 
in  his  attire  from  Arthur's  yachting  wardrobe. 

"He's  a  cool  one,"  said  the  sailing  master  admiringly, 
as  he  gazed  after  Blair,  who  walked  in  his  dripping 
clothes  across  the  deck  whistling.  "I'll  bet  he  is  a 
Virginian,  that  lad.  He  says  he  is  the  owner,  Mr.  Pow 
ell's,  cousin,  and  Powell  is  another  fighting  daredevil 
just  like  him.  They  breed  good  men  in  the  West,  but 
there's  nothing  wrong  with  the  fighting  strain  they 
raise  in  old  Virginia!" 

Luke  gained  a  deserted  part  of  the  beach  unob 
served  and  regained  his  breath  by  lying  upon  the 
sand  in  the  sun  for  a  few  moments.  Then  he  stood 
up  and  shook  the  water  from  him,  as  a  great  dog 
might  have  done,  and  strode  off. 

Luke  Lovell  had  no  use  for  the  town.  Far  away  in 
the  Sierras,  the  Lady  Veronica  mines  and  other  pros 
perous  and  busy  diggings  called  him.  By  train  and 
on  foot,  he  made  his  way  and  by  another  day  Santa 
Barbara  was  far  behind  him.  But  though  he  went 
for  work,  and  to  get  away  from  his  very  hate  of  Blah- 
Stanley,  Luke  Lovell  had  not  deviated  one  iota  from 
his  set,  sullen  purpose.  Work  was  well  enough  for 
a  while.  But  he  could  remember  that  when  he  was 
but  a  gipsy  stripling  of  eighteen  and  had  come  to 
America  to  join  his  cousin  Romanys  here,  Matt  Hard 
ing  was  already  a  rich  man,  as  gipsies  go,  and  was 
drinking  himself  to  death  "like  a  gentleman." 

And  now  Luke  was  on  the  edge  of  his  own  fortunes, 


The  Charm  against  Harm  271 

he  thought.  Had  he  not  been  first  to  see  the  paper 
that  Blair  Stanley  had  pursued  and  persecuted  Esther 
to  obtain? 

Then,  too,  Luke  Lovell  had  beheld  and  possessed 
"The  Diamond  from  the  Sky,"  the  priceless  Stanley 
heirloom ! 

Luke  clenched  his  hand  and  looked  down  as  though 
he  expected  to  see  the  great  gem  he  had  thrice  grasped 
as  his  own,  still  burning  balefully  in  his  bronzed  and 
brawny  grasp. 

But  the  diamond  was  gone,  and  he  clutched  at  the 
empty  air,  and  trudged  on  resolved  that  the  purpose 
of  his  life  would  be  to  have  and  to  hold  it  in  the 
very  face  of  death.  But  he  would  have  no  more  of 
Blair  Stanley,  that  he  was  resolved. 

Esther,  after  being  thrown  upon  the  beach  from 
the  overturned  boat  with  Quabba,  thanked  those  who 
rushed  up  to  assist  her  and  her  companion,  and  as 
sured  them  it  had  been  just  an  accident  of  small 
consequence.  Her  spirits  rose  again  in  thankfulness, 
and  followed  by  poor  Quabba,  who  half  hysterically 
accused  himself  of  every  crime  under  the  calendar  in 
his  humiliation  at  having  imperilled  his  young  mistress, 
Esther  reached  a  quiet  part  of  the  beach  and,  from 
there,  had  Quabba  summon  a  conveyance  which  took 
her  to  the  hotel  on  a  side  street,  where  she  had  secured 
quarters  for  herself  and  her  servant. 

Here  Esther  changed  her  attire,  as  did  Quabba  also, 
but,  as  his  garments  were  of  the  simplest  and  were 
much  alike  in  pattern  and  antiquity,  this  made  but 
slight  change  in  his  appearance. 

Esther  knew  she  was  safe  enough  in  Santa  Barbara 


272  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

or  any  other  city.  She  would  fight  Blair  Stanley 
fearlessly  along  the  lines  the  Stanleys  had  always 
fought  their  feuds — among  themselves.  True,  the 
Stanleys,  even  in  their  feuds,  had  seldom  fought 
women.  But  Esther,  knowing  she  had  the  protection 
of  Arthur's  love,  and  having  every  confidence  in  the 
strength,  wit  and  courage  of  this  handsomest  of  all 
heroes  in  her  eyes,  felt  as  though  Blair  was  over 
matched,  when  all  was  said  and  done.  Had  she  met 
Blair  in  the  streets  of  Santa  Barbara,  she  might  even 
have  bowed  to  him  with  a  mocking  smile.  She  knew 
that  he  was  so  circumstanced  that  in  the  open  places 
of  a  great  city  he  could  say  or  do  nothing  to  hurt  or 
harm  her. 

It  is  a  practical  age,  so  the  young  lady  who  had 
been  pursued  through  the  wilderness  by  two  desperate 
ruffians  in  the  most  melodramatic  manner,  a  day  or 
so  ago,  and  who  this  very  morning  had  leaped  from 
a  yacht  to  again  escape  them,  walked  prosaically  to 
the  telegraph  office  and  sent  a  message  to  Mr.  John 
Powell,  president  of  the  Good  Hope  Oil  Company,  Los 
Angeles. 

The  message  seemed  one  of  a  dozen  matter-of-fact 
communications  the  pretty,  dark-eyed  young  lady  clerk 
in  the  Western  Union  Office  at  Santa  Barbara  handled 
every  day.  It  read: 

"Came  here  to  see  you.    Urgent.    Wire  instructions. 

(Signed)  ESTHER." 

"You  will  probably  have  an  answer  in  an  hour  or 
so,"  said  the  clerk,  and  Esther  murmured  her  thanks 
and  said  she  would  be  back,  and,  such  is  the  prosaic 


The  Charm  against  Harm  273 

life  even  for  beautiful  damsels  in  distress,  went  shop 
ping  in  the  interim,  while  Quabba  lurked  at  a  respect 
ful  distance. 

In  the  woods  and  in  the  wilderness,  on  the  danger 
ous  waters,  he  could  come  close  to  cherish  and  protect 
his  beloved  young  mistress.  But  in  the  built-up  town 
where  romance  and  devotion  seems  strange  and  out 
of  place,  convention  required  that  the  faithful  Quabba 
must  keep  aloof. 

Esther  had  not  asked  this,  but  she  knew  the  prox 
imity  of  the  queer-looking  follower  who  served  her  so 
faithfully  would,  in  a  town,  bring  upon  her  attention 
and  questioning. 

Meanwhile  at  the  south  portal  of  the  Lady  Veronica 
Mines,  there  are  excitement  and  alarm.  Some 
ranchers  from  the  valley  below  have  borne  back  the 
wounded  and  half-unconscious  young  miner  who  had 
driven  Esther  and  Quabba  when  they  were  attacked 
by  Blair  and  Luke  on  the  lonely  mountain  road.  Re 
vived  and  nursed  by  the  mine  foreman's  motherly 
wife,  the  driver  tells  his  story. 

"I  do  not  know  what  became  of  the  young  lady  and 
the  little  Italian  man  with  her,"  murmurs  the  young 
miner,  while  tears  of  weakness  and  vexation  welled  to 
his  eyes.  "I  would  have  died  to  save  her;  I  did  my 
best!" 

"Some  of  the  boys  saw  the  tracks  of  the  buckboard 
turn  off  on  the  old  road  that  ain't  used  no  more," 
said  one  of  the  ranchmen.  "Tom  here  rode  back  and 
found  a  camp,  but  the  buckboard  and  horses  and 
everybody  was  gone.  Them  two  fellers  stole  hosses 


274  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

from  San  Marcos  ranch,  and  they  must  have  caught 
the  girl  and  the  little  Italian  feller!" 

"And  I  lost  a  copy  of  the  Police  Gazette  I  was  keep 
ing  to  read  Sunday,"  growled  another.  "It's  mighty 
interesting  reading,  that  Police  Gazette,  especially  in 
a  dull  country  like  this  where  nothing  exciting  ever 
happens!" 

This  is  the  way  of  the  world.  Distant  fields  look 
the  greenest.  We  think  that  romance  only  nourishes 
beyond  the  sky  line,  and  lo,  it  is  at  either  hand! 

The  mine  foreman  thought  the  matter  of  sufficient 
importance  to  endeavor  to  communicate  with  John 
Powell,  the  owner  of  the  mines,  in  far  Los  Angeles,  by 
long  distance  telephone. 

The  beauty  and  charm  of  Esther,  the  strange  secrecy 
of  her  quest  for  John  Powell  had  impressed  the  mine 
foreman.  He  was  of  Scotch  extraction  and  the  cost  of 
long  distance  telephoning  to  Los  Angeles  was  to  his 
mind  a  prodigious  thing.  But  well  was  his  desperate 
extravagance — though  charged  to  the  company — 
rewarded  by  the  broken,  excited  thanks  of  his  million 
aire  employer. 

"Yes,  yes,  you  did  right,  McKenzie,  to  call  me  up 
to  tell  me!  Oh,  damn  the  expense,  man,  I'll  give  you 
ten  thousand  dollars  if  the  young  lady  is  all  right! 
Stop  all  work,  arm  all  the  men  and  search  everywhere 
till  the  girl  is  found !  Don't  stop  to  ask  any  questions 
and  if  the  men  are  caught  who  molested  her,  string 
them  up  or  shoot  them  down — or  both!  I'm  taking 
my  fastest  car  and  I'm  making  for  the  mines!" 

At  his  office  in  Los  Angeles,  Arthur  dashed  like  a 
madman  from  the  telephone,  crying  excitedly  to  his 


The  Charm  against  Harm  275 

secretary  as  he  went  that  a  most  urgent  matter  called 
him  to  the  mines,  and  ran  from  the  building  to  his 
waiting  auto,  followed  by  the  bewildered  office  porter, 
with  his  auto  cap  and  coat. 

He  had  hardly  left  before  Esther's  message  from 
Santa  Barbara  arrived  and  within  the  hour,  Esther 
received  the  following  answer: 

Los  Angeles,  11  A.  M. 
To  Miss  ESTHER  HARDING, 

SANTA  BARBARA,  CAL. 

Replying  to  your  wire.  Mr.  Powell  left  for  mines  seeking 
you.  No  way  of  communicating  with  him  as  he  is  en  route 
in  auto. 

(Signed)  E.  WHITE,  Secretary. 

Since  Hagar's  sudden  mental  affliction,  of  which  only 
Blair  Stanley  knew  the  cause,  and  guiltily,  the  wealth 
Esther's  gipsy  mother  was  supposed  to  possess  seemed 
to  have  disappeared  absolutely,  and  Esther  had  been 
dependent  on  the  generosity — a  generosity  as  sudden 
as  it  was  strange — of  Blair's  mother  and  the  more 
friendly  kindness  of  Mrs.  Randolph  in  Richmond,  until 
she  had  received  the  thousand  dollars  so  mysteriously. 
With  this  money,  which  she  knew  was  from  Arthur, 
Esther  with  Quabba  had  come  to  California  in  search 
of  him.  She  was  still  in  sufficient  funds,  therefore,  to 
continue  her  quest — which  was  now  like  a  game  of 
hide-and-seek.  It  was  her  purpose  in  life  and  no  other 
interest  held  her  except  that  she  worried  as  to  Hagar's 
condition  and  had  wired  to  the  house  surgeon  of  the 
Richmond  sanitarium  and  received  the  comforting 
reply  that  there  was  every  indication  of  complete  re 
covery  in  due  time.  Upon  receipt  of  the  telegram, 


276  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

Esther  and  Quabba  took  a  train  to  the  nearest  station 
to  return  to  the  mountain  mine,  and  hiring  horses 
here,  completed  their  journey. 

Blair  found  time  lying  heavy  on  his  hands  aboard 
the  yacht,  and  deeming  from  his  telegrams  that  he  was 
in  a  chastened  frame  of  mind,  Vivian  thought  it  best 
to  have  him  come  to  Los  Angeles.  It  was  time  Blair 
met  Durand,  the  King  of  Diamonds,  and  his  accom 
plice,  the  dapper  Count  de  Vaux. 

If  everybody  has  a  past,  it  behooves  no  one  to  ask 
awkward  questions.  Blair,  upon  reaching  Los  Angeles, 
sullenly  at  times,  and  again  with  some  show  of  fellow 
ship,  accepted  association  with  the  debonaire  and  pol 
ished  Durand  and  the  dapper  and  cunning  Count  de 
Vaux. 

But  alone  with  Vivian,  Blair  made  his  muttered 
protests. 

"These  old  friends  of  yours  have  their  nerve!"  he 
growled.  "To  hear  them  talk  you  would  think  that 
once  they  got  their  hands  upon  the  diamond,  it  would 
be  booty  to  be  sold  abroad  and  the  money  divided.  I 
like  their  impudence!  Damn  them,  don't  they  know 
the  diamond  belongs  to  me  lawfully  if  Arthur  Stanley 
dies,  and  that  it  will  belong  to  me  and  I  will  give  it  to 
you  if  I  can  ever  get  my  hands  on  it,  whether  he 
lives  or  dies?" 

"Now  do  keep  your  temper,  my  dear  boy,"  coaxed 
Vivian.  "You  are  not  in  any  position  to  tell  who  or 
what  you  are.  We  are  in  no  position  to  let  Durand 
and  de  Vaux  suspect  anything,  especially  must  they 
never  suspect  that  the  man  they  know  or  have  heard 
of  as  John  Powell,  is  Arthur  Stanley.  They  would 


Copyright,  1916,  O.   W.  IKUingham  Camvany 


The  'diamond'  will  be  yours  if  I  can  get  my  hands  upon  it." 


,The  Charm  against  Harm  277 

blackmail  him  all  for  themselves.  As  it  is  now,  we 
need  the  help  of  such  a  capable  pair  in  getting  all  we 
can  of  the  Powell  millions,  on  a  share  and  share  alike 
arrangement. 

"And  don't  worry  about  who  is  to  get  the  diamond. 
If  it  ever  comes  to  light,  it  will  be  mine.  But  mean 
while,  be  a  nice  boy  and  pretend,  as  I  do,  you  are 
going  to  be  on  the  square  with  these  swell  crooks.  And 
we  will  be  on  the  square  with  the  millions  we'll  get 
from  your  lucky  cousin — if  he  is  your  cousin — the  so- 
called  John  Powell. 

"But  the  diamond — we'll  fight  for  that  when  it  is 
found. 

"I  fancy,  Blair,  my  dear,  you  and  I  will  be  a  match 
for  our  clever  friends,  Durand  and  de  Vaux,  when  it 
comes  to  the  question  of  who  will  get  'The  Diamond 
from  the  Sky'!" 

Blair  grinned  his  appreciation  of  Vivian's  subtle 
plan,  and  seemingly  he  worked  hand  in  glove  with  "the 
pack"  from  then  on. 


It  was  payday  at  Mammoth.  Mammoth,  as  Mr. 
Peter  Huff  would  say,  was  "Some  burg!"  Mr.  Huff 
should  have  known,  he  was  the  proprietor  of  "Pete's 
Palace,"  the  one  amusement  and  public  accommodation 
enterprise  at  Mammoth.  It  was  a  great  dance-hall, 
gambling-hell,  bar-room  and  restaurant  combined. 
Money  flowed  like  water  at  Mammoth,  which  was  in 
the  centre  of  the  newly  opened  mines  in  the  mountains 
where  John  Powell  and  other  magnates  were  putting  in 
more  money  than  perhaps  they  ever  would  get  out. 


278  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

Pete's  Palace  was  a  shed-like,  roughly  built  edifice 
with  a  great  bar,  a  greater  lunch  counter,  a  dancing 
floor  and  many  sorts  of  gambling  tables.  Here  were 
recreation  and  refreshments,  and  some  forty  or  fifty 
more  or  less  charming  persons  of  the  fair  sex  made  time 
pass  pleasantly  for  the  male  guests  of  Pete's  Palace  by 
dancing  with  them  for  "two  bits"  a  dance.  These  were 
high  prices  considering  the  shortness  of  the  dances,  but 
there  was  plenty  of  money  on  pay  nights  at  Mammoth. 

But  things  were  at  a  lull  when  Frank  Durand  ar 
rived  at  Mammoth.  He  had  received  wrord  from  some 
underground  source  that  several  of  the  train  robbers 
who  had  been  in  the  hold-up  in  which  the  diamond 
was  taken  from  Vivian,  consorted  at  Pete's  Palace.  A 
sign  in  the  underworld's  fraternal  code  upon  his  en 
trance,  and  Pete  and  Durand  were  soon  in  conference. 

A  few  words  were  overheard  by  a  hulking  gipsy  fel 
low  at  the  bar,  and  a  third  person  was  party  to  the  con 
versation.  This  third  party  was  Luke  Lovell,  who,  re 
tracing  his  steps  in  search  for  work,  had  encountered  at 
Mammoth  the  wandering  desert  Indian.  In  him,  Luke 
had  proof  to  substantiate  to  Durand  his  story  of  the 
diamond. 

"It's  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea!"  concluded  Luke 
gruffly,  and  Durand  whistled  and  wondered,  but  was 
not  convinced. 

Mammoth  would  seem  a  magnet  that  draws  together 
many  concerned  with  the  Stanley  diamond  and  the 
Stanley  secret.  From  two  worn  horses  alight  Esther 
and  Quabba,  tired  and  hungry.  Pete's  Palace  is  getting 
crowded  now;  it  is  the  only  place  in  miles  that  offers 
refreshment  for  man  and  beast,  and  some  of  the  men 


The  Charm  against  Harm  279 

are  beasts.  One  of  these  leans  against  the  lunch-coun 
ter  and  leers  at  the  worn  and  exhausted  girl  who  has 
entered  with  the  foreign-looking  little  hunchback. 

Esther  has  been  loath  to  enter  or  stay  in  the  place, 
but  she  is  faint  with  hunger  and  Quabba  has  insisted 
she  must  have  at  least  a  cup  of  coffee  before  they  ride 
further. 

Arthur,  speeding  through  the  wilderness  in  his  high- 
powered  car  that  goes  direct  and  leaves  train  systems 
far  behind,  has  picked  up  a  strange  wanderer  in  the 
wilds,  an  exhausted  English  lawyer,  carrying  a  deer 
head  by  a  strap-handle,  and  too  tired  to  talk.  Pete's 
Palace  fills  up,  the  dance  is  at  its  height.  Arthur,  who 
as  John  Powell  has  furnished  as  an  employer  most  of 
the  money  that  is  being  spent  in  Pete's  Palace,  arrives 
with  the  tired  lawyer,  for  refreshment  ere  speeding 
on  in  his  feverish  search  for  Esther.  He  is  entering 
the  door  when  there  is  an  outbreak  by  the  counter 
that  attracts  the  attention  of  all.  A  man  who 
is  a  beast  has  grasped  the  shrinking  Esther,  say 
ing,  "Come  on,  sweetheart,  and  dance!"  As  he 
clutches  her,  the  neck  of  Esther's  blouse  is  loosened 
and  a  great  diamond  dangles  out,  blazing  in  the  fierce 
light  of  the  lamps  overhead.  Durand  sees  it,  Luke 
Lovell,  who  has  stepped  aside  at  seeing  Esther  and 
Quabba  enter,  sees  it.  Luke  forgets  the  diamond,  and 
springing  to  Esther's  aid  again,  strikes  down  the  man 
who  is  a  beast. 

There  is  a  wild  uproar,  and  Pete  with  his  ruffianly 
help,  sides  with  Durand  in  the  bold  claim  the  latter 
makes  for  the  diamond.  It  is  torn  from  the  neck  of 
Esther  and,  in  the  grasp  of  a  woman  known  as  Kansas 


280  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

Em,  some  secret  spring  is  touched  and  the  back  of 
the  locket  opens  and  a  creased  paper  falls  out. 

It  is  the  woman  known  as  Kansas  Em  who  seizes 
and  reads  the  paper,  calling  for  silence,  which  falls  in 
a  great  dramatic  hush.  She  reads: 

"Oh,  Child  of  my  heart! 

Not  a  diamond,  but  a  loving  mother's  prayer  is  the  true 
'Charm  against  Harm'!" 

Even  a  life  of  shame  cannot  stamp  out  the  feminine 
desire  for  decency  and  the  womanly  obsession  to  pro 
tect  the  innocent  and  the  motherless.  A  quiver  shakes 
the  frame  of  Kansas  Em.  Two  great  tears  streak  the 
paint  upon  her  sallow  cheeks.  She  turns  in  fury  upon 
her  boss  and  master. 

"You  damned  skunk ! "  she  cries.  "This  is  a  mother's 
prayer — this  locket  is  that  poor  girl's!" 

As  though  this  were  a  signal  at  which  all  demoniac 
passions  were  to  break  loose,  the  dance  hall  viragoes, 
in  a  psychological  outburst  of  emotion  and  frenzied 
anger,  spring  upon  the  proprietor  of  the  place  and  all 
his  bullies,  scratching,  biting  like  valkyries. 

Attracted  by  the  commotion  and  the  crowd  that  sur 
rounds  the  lunch  counter,  John  Powell  breaks  his  way 
through,  just  as  the  riot  starts. 

For  one  brief  moment  he  and  Esther  gazed  into 
each  other's  eyes,  and  for  the  first,  and  alas,  for 
the  last  time,  for  many  bitter  days,  were  clasped  in 
each  other's  arms.  For  it  was  then,  as  the  chroniclers 
of  the  combat  that  followed  will  tell  you :  "Hell  really 
broke  loose!" 

Instinctively  all  took  sides,  the  good  element  against 


The  Charm  against  Harm  281 

the  bad,  and  even  the  better  element  of  the  bad  against 
the  worst.  Esther  and  Arthur  were  torn  apart,  men 
and  women  fought  like  maniacs  with  hands  and  feet 
and  teeth;  every  article  that  could  be  lifted  and 
smashed  was  thrown  or  broken.  Arthur  struck  right 
and  left,  performing  prodigies  of  strength  in  his  fren 
zied  efforts  to  reach  the  side  of  Esther  again. 

The  lunch  counter  went  over  with  a  crash,  the  bar 
toppled  and  fell,  and  then  the  surge  of  the  crowd,  as  a 
wave  of  the  combat  drove  it  to  one  side,  tore  out  the 
west  wall  of  the  rickety  frame  building,  and  down 
smashed  the  roof,  crushing  all  beneath  it,  and  beneath 
it  was  Arthur  Stanley,  shattered  to  insensibility.  But 
where  was  the  diamond  which  had  wrought  all  this? 


CHAPTER   XIX 

A  JEWEL  FOR  A  QUEEN 

WHERE  was  "The  Diamond  from  the  Sky"? 
It  was  not  in  the  grasp  of  Frank  Du- 
rand,  erstwhile  King  of  Diamonds,  it  was 
not  clasped  in  the  tigress  talons  of  Kansas 
Em,  the  dance-hall  fury,  whose  outburst  of  morbid 
morality  had  been  the  pruning  to  the  powder  that  had 
set  off  the  emotional  dynamite  of  maudlin  sentimen 
tality — as  a  cynic  might  describe  it — that  had  resulted 
in  this  frenzy  of  riot  and  destruction. 

The  hot,  fierce  combat  of  men  and  women,  indis 
criminately  striving  with  each  other  like  beasts,  had 
brought  resultant  chaos.  First,  the  rickety  side  wall 
of  the  mine-camp  den  had  swayed  and  smashed  out 
in  a  surge  of  the  struggling  mob.  Then  down  crashed 
the  roof  and  there  were  dust  and  darkness,  screams, 
groans,  a  smudging  of  smoke  and  a  crackle  of  fire. 

But  where  was  "The  Diamond  from  the  Sky"?  It 
was  not  in  Esther's  tender  hands  as  Quabba,  the  ever 
watchful  Italian,  drew  her  from  the  maelstrom  of  the 
melee  ere  the  roof  had  fallen. 

It  was  in  the  first  outburst  of  Kansas  Em's  frenzied 
indignation,  after  she  had  read  aloud  the  prayer 
in  the  locket— a  mother's  prayer  to  come  so  strangely 
to  the  light  after  all  these  years — that  the  diamond 

282 


A  Jewel  for  a  Queen  283 

with  its  chain  had  been  knocked  from  the  dance-hall 
Amazon's  hand. 

A  strong  arm  had  struck  a  mighty  blow  against  the 
wrist  of  Kansas  Em,  and  the  dangling  diamond  had 
flown,  a  streak  of  white  fire  in  the  blazing  lamplight, 
over  the  heads  of  the  struggling,  maddened  men  and 
women. 

Arthur,  gasping  and  wild-eyed  at  sight  of  Esther, 
had  fought  to  her  side  once  more  and  had  held  out  his 
arms  to  embrace  her.  Then  like  a  mighty  wave,  the 
mass  of  stark-mad  and  heaving  humanity  had  broken 
upon  them  and  torn  them  apart. 

Pushed  to  the  outskirts  of  the  combat,  Quabba  had 
plucked  Esther  from  the  storm  of  blows,  and  had  led 
her,  dazed,  to  safety.  Ahead  of  them  spurted  the 
agile  English  lawyer,  Marmaduke  Smythe,  still  hold 
ing  fast  to  his  most  cherished  possession,  the  mounted 
deer  head,  and  on  one  of  the  horns  of  the  deer  head 
dangled  the  "Diamond  from  the  Sky" ! 

When  the  riot  had  broken  loose,  Smythe  had  stood 
his  ground,  and  angered  at  what  he  had  designated  as 
"the  bally  impertinence"  of  some  unknown  who  had 
smashed  a  plate  upon  his  head,  he  had  struck  out 
smartly,  hitting  every  skull  in  sight.  But  when  the 
surge  of  the  crowd  had  borne  him  against  the  side  wall 
and  men  and  women  had  turned  like  beasts  to  rend 
each  other,  the  lawyer,  taking  advantage  of  being  near 
the  doorway,  had  darted  out  into  the  night. 

In  the  excitement  and  the  struggle  he  had  not  noted 
that  the  diamond  had  been  hurled  through  the  air, 
when  Peter  Huff,  struggling  for  it  like  all  the  rest,  had 
struck  the  arm  of  Kansas  Em.  Over  the  heads  of  the 


284  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

crowd  the  diamond  had  flashed  and  fallen  and  fastened 
upon  the  deer  horn,  and  so  the  lawyer  had  borne  it 
from  the  scene  of  struggle  unnoticed  by  any  one,  even 
himself. 

Scarcely  knowing  what  he  did,  the  panic-stricken 
Smythe  darted  into  the  first  haven  of  safety  he  en 
countered.  It  was  a  barrel  that  Pete's  bartender  had 
converted  into  a  kennel  for  a  puppy  given  him  that 
very  day. 

Meanwhile  the  anger  of  the  riot  had  turned  to  hor 
ror  and  fear. 

Those  who  had  not  been  imprisoned  or  crushed  by 
the  falling  roof  of  the  dance-hall  dragged  themselves 
from  the  debris.  Some  ran  wildly  through  the  muddy 
streets  of  the  little  town  crying  for  help  and  calling 
"Fire!"  Others  plucked  at  the  ruins  with  torn  and 
bleeding  hands,  and  still  others  fought  at  each  other's 
throat. 

Durand  had  not  seen  where  the  diamond  had  fallen, 
but  instinctively  he  had  torn  through  the  little  knot 
that  fought  around  him  at  the  beginning  of  the  fray 
and  had  struck  Luke  a  mighty  blow  between  the  eyes 
with  all  his  strength  and  skill,  for  Durand  had  been  a 
boxer  in  his  earlier  years.  But  Luke  had  shaken  him 
self  as  a  dog  might  do,  and  had  closed  in  on  Durand. 

''This  fellow  has  the  diamond!"  Durand  had  shouted 
above  the  din  of  the  fight,  and  Huff  and  he,  struggling 
with  Luke,  had  broken  to  the  outer  edge  of  the  fight 
and  then  to  the  door  and  down  the  muddy  street, 
before  the  side  wall  went  out  or  the  roof  had  fallen. 

Luke  was  nearly  a  match  for  the  two,  but  finally  they 
beat  him  to  his  knees  and  searched  him  near  the  bar- 


A  Jewel  for  a  Queen  285 

rel  where  the  hiding  lawyer  lay.  Then  with  curses  of 
disappointment,  Durand  and  Huff  rushed  back  to  the 
dance-hall  just  as  the  roof  fell,  and  Luke,  staggering 
to  his  feet,  made  off  in  the  darkness,  firm  again  in  the 
belief  that  the  devil  himself  dwelt  in  "The  Diamond 
from  the  Sky,"  even  though  a  mother's  prayer  had  been 
all  these  years  hidden  behind  it. 

The  lawyer,  peering  cautiously  from  his  hiding 
place,  hears  a  clink  and  clatter  against  the  side  of  the 
barrel  into  which  he  has  crept  to  hide.  In  the  darkness 
and  on  his  hands  and  knees,  he  clutches  the  deer  head 
closer,  feels  it  to  ascertain  if  it  has  been  injured — and 
his  trembling  hand  closes  upon  the  Stanley  heirloom! 

In  the  blazing  dance-hall  ruins  several  people  lay 
crushed  to  death's  stillness  beneath  the  wreckage. 
With  these  there  is  one  stalwart  man  in  auto  costume 
whose  face,  blanched  in  death  or  unconsciousness,  is 
cameo-like.  It  is  John  Powell,  once  Arthur  Stanley! 
A  great  timber  is  across  his  chest  and  he  is  crushed  and 
sorely  shattered. 

Esther  is  sick  and  faint.  "I  am  not  hurt,"  she  replies 
tremulously  to  Quabba's  question,  "but  where  is  Ar 
thur?  Has  he  escaped?  Is  he  killed?" 

"Is  he  your  friend?"  asked  Kansas  Em,  who  is 
helping  to  hold  her.  "Why,  that's  the  boss,  Mr.  John 
Powell,  the  millionaire,  who  has  just  bought  the  mines 
around  here.  He  had  just  arrived  when  hell  broke 
loose.  Is  he  your  friend?" 

Esther  could  have  said  that  the  young  man  known 
as  John  Powell  was  her  only  friend  in  all  the  world, 
save  the  poor  Italian,  Quabba,  and  a  gipsy  woman 
bereft  of  reason,  in  far  off  Richmond.  But  Esther  did 


286  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

not  answer.  She  sped  to  the  ruins  and  fought  her  way 
through  several  groups  of  men  and  women,  beginning 
the  work  of  rescue  in  the  face  of  the  flames. 

Where  the  roof  had  fallen,  its  upper  end  had  been 
stayed  and  supported  in  some  measure  by  the  upturned 
lunch  counter  near  the  east  wall.  Where  the  west  wall 
had  given  way  and  fallen  out,  that  edge  of  the  shattered 
roof  rested,  crushed  and  splintered,  flat  in  the  debris 
at  that  side. 

The  crackling  fire  shed  its  light  among  the  ruins  and 
down  in  such  interstices  where  Esther  thrust  herself 
in  search  of  Arthur.  Those  who  were  pinned  in  the 
wreckage  and  were  conscious  of  the  added  peril  of  fire, 
screamed  and  begged  for  aid  and  succor.  Those  who 
had  escaped  unhurt  and  others  of  the  town  of  Mam 
moth  who  had  not  been  in  the  dance-hall,  flung  them 
selves  upon  the  wreckage  with  their  bare  hands  and 
such  tools  as  had  come  first  to  hand,  and  sought  to  save 
where  just  a  few  moments  before  many  had  sought 
to  slay. 

There  was  no  cry  from  the  pinioned  man  whom 
Esther  sought,  and  whom  she  found.  As  one  dead  he 
lay,  half  covered  by  the  wreckage  but  with  face  un- 
scarred  and  undisfigured.  Already  the  red  edges  of 
fire  are  creeping  near  him. 

Esther  grasps  his  shoulders,  but  the  task  is  beyond 
her  strength  until  Quabba  and  their  friend,  the  out 
cast  Kansas  Em,  join  their  efforts  with  hers.  Together 
they  drag  the  unconscious  man  from  the  burning  ruins 
of  the  dance  hall. 

Now  men  are  arriving  with  stretchers  from  the 
mine,  and  upon  one  of  these  Arthur  is  placed.  And 


A  Jewel  for  a  Queen  287 

then  Esther,  her  strength  and  resolution  leaving  her, 
feels  a  deadly  numbness  come  over  her. 

Mammoth  is  a  lawless  community,  and  Peter  Huff, 
the  den  keeper,  is  one  of  its  most  lawless  arbiters.  But 
he  has  the  gamblers'  temperament.  The  destruction 
of  his  gambling  hall  is  but  the  adverse  turn  of  a  card 
to  him. 

"The  Diamond  from  the  Sky,"  since  Durand  has 
told  him  of  it,  now  fills  the  mind  of  Peter  Huff.  If  the 
lost  jewel  of  price  only  can  be  recovered  from  the  ruins 
or  from  him  who  has  it,  it  will  be  well  worth  the  loss 
of  a  hundred  rough,  tawdry  dens  like  this,  he  thinks. 
Even  toward  Kansas  Em,  the  whilom  proprietor  of 
the  den  has  assumed  an  air  of  letting  bygones  be  by 
gones.  To  the  adventurous  and  philosophical  tempera 
ment  of  the  den  keeper,  the  whole  affair  is  a  matter  of 
predestination. 

"Joint  keeper's  luck,"  he  calls  it.  "Easy  come  and 
easy  go!  In  a  gamble  for  a  fortune,  in  a  play  for  a 
stake  worth  half  a  million,  I  lose  a  dump  worth  five 
thousand — the  odds  were  worth  it,  even  to  lose!"  says 
Mr.  Huff. 

Then  he  turns  to  the  late  insurgent  inmate  of  his 
den  and  says  gruffly:  "Well,  Em,  you  pulled  a  fine 
bone  for  your  boss  when  you  started  this  scrap  over 
your  young  lady  friend  there!" 

Here  Pete  looked  keenly  into  the  white  face  of  the 
fainting  Esther.  Pete  was  not  altogether  lost  to  the 
higher  humanities.  "Why,  she's  only  a  kid,"  he  says, 
"and  she's  all  in !  Take  her  to  your  place  and  fix  her 
up.  We've  sent  for  the  doctor;  he's  over  at  the  other 


288  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

mine.  We'll  need  the  coroner,  too — and  the  under 
taker!"  he  added. 

"I'm  a  doctor,"  spoke  up  Durand,  stooping  ever 
Arthur,  and  thrusting  aside  several  of  the  rough  group 
who  had  gathered  around  the  stretcher.  "There  are 
other  people  to  help  besides  this  one/'  remarked 
Durand  to  these.  "Hustle;  I'll  take  care  of  Mr. 
Powell!" 

"You  think  he'll  live?"  asked  Huff.  "Are  you  really 
a  doctor?" 

"He  is  very  badly  injured  internally,"  replied  Du 
rand.  "Several  ribs  are  broken  and  one  of  his  arms. 
He  should  be  taken  to  a  hospital,  as  I  think  an  opera 
tion  is  necessary.  Yes,  I  am  a  doctor;  I  have  a  Heidel 
berg  degree  to  prove  it,  but  you  must  excuse  me  if  I 
haven't  it  with  me  to  clear  up  your  doubts!" 

"Oh,  don't  be  sore  at  me!"  retorted  Mr.  Huff;  "I 
don't  care  whether  you're  a  hoss-doctor,  a  human- 
doctor  or  no  doctor.  But  as  Mr.  Powell's  death  may 
mean  the  stopping  of  these  works,  you  use  your  own 
judgment  as  to  whether  we  will  try  to  take  care  of  him 
here  or  get  him  to  Los  Angeles.  You  had  better  at 
tend  to  him  and  I'll  stick  around  here  and  search  every 
body,  living  or  dead,  and  dig  in  those  ruins  when 
they're  cool  enough,  for  that  big  stone  you  say  is  called 
'The  Diamond  from  the  Sky.'  Don't  worry  about  me, 
I'll  be  on  the  square." 

"Of  course,  you'll  be  on  the  square,"  replied  Durand 
menacingly.  "How  could  you  dispose  of  it  without 
getting  into  the  penitentiary,  unless  you  hand  it  over 
to  me — if  you  find  it?  Don't  worry  about  being  square 
with  me,  worry  about  my  being  square  with  you!" 


A  Jewel  for  a  Queen  289 

And  thus  having  thoroughly  subjugated  Mr.  Peter 
Huff,  Durand  turned  to  minister  to  the  unconscious 
John  Powell  again. 

It  was  no  idle  boast  of  Durand's  that  he  was  a  physi 
cian  and  the  possessor  of  a  Heidelberg  degree.  But  he 
had  debased  his  great  talents  and  his  aptitude  in  this 
high  profession.  Mixed  in  several  scandals,  he  had 
been  forced  to  fly  successively  from  New  York,  Paris 
and  Vienna,  Of  late  years  he  had  ceased  using  his 
medical  knowledge  and  connections,  even  in  smuggling 
and  dealing  in  narcotic  drugs.  He  had  found  that 
while  the  results  had  been  profitable,  there  was  some 
thing  more  exciting  in  the  desperate  profession  of  inter 
national  gem  crook — sensational  success  in  this  line 
having  secured  for  him  the  pseudonym  of  "The  King 
of  Diamonds." 

And  John  Powell  was  badly  injured.  How  badly, 
Durand  had  only  been  able  to  surmise  at  his  first  super 
ficial  examination.  But  Durand  believed  that  his  pa 
tient's  youth  and  strong  constitution  would  enable  him 
to  stand  a  hurried  journey  to  Los  Angeles  ere  the  reac 
tion  from  shock  set  in.  Then,  too,  a  daring  scheme 
was  formulating  in  Durand's  mind.  Crushed  and 
helpless — John  Powell,  the  millionaire,  as  Durand 
knew  him — was  wholly  at  his  mercy.  Surely  when  John 
Powell  recovered  strength  and  consciousness,  common 
gratitude  would  impel  him  to  retain  the  services  of  the 
physician  who  had  saved  his  life  by  hastening  with 
his  shattered  form  from  the  wilderness  to  the  care  and 
conveniences  of  the  city. 

Hastily  but  skillfully  improvising  an  ambulance  by 
the  aid  of  the  stretcher  and  John  Powell's  high-powered 


290  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

roadster,  and  taking  with  him  a  mechanic  to  aid  him 
in  running  and  caring  for  the  great  car,  Durand  de 
parted  from  Mammoth  with  his  still  unconscious 
patient  swathed  in  blankets. 

When  Esther  had  recovered,  the  improvised  auto 
mobile  ambulance  was  gone.  Esther  knew  nothing  of 
Durand,  save  what  Peter  Huff  could  tell  her  in  answer 
to  her  frantic  inquiries. 

"He's  a  doctor,  kid,  that's  all  I  know,"  Mr.  Huff  had 
replied.  "He's  a  big  doctor,  too,  and  an  old  friend  of 
your  friend,  Mr.  Powell ;  at  least  he's  a  friend  of  friends 
of  his.  You  ought  to  be  thankful.  Doctor  Durand 
told  me  Mr.  Powell  wouldn't  have  a  chance  for  his 
life  unless  he  was  taken  to  a  hospital  at  once  and 
operated  on." 

There  were  tears  in  Kansas  Em's  worldly-wise  eyes 
at  Esther's  sorrow  and  distress,  and  the  virago  of  the 
dance-hall  comforted  the  innocent-minded  younger 
woman  as  best  she  could. 

"If  you're  not  satisfied,  you  go  follow  them,"  she 
whispered.  "Have  you  any  money,  pet?"  And  Kan 
sas  Em  involuntarily  made  a  movement  as  though  to 
search  her  stocking,  then  she  flushed,  turned  and 
angrily  ordered  Mr.  Peter  Huff  out  of  her  cabin. 

"Yes,  thank  you,"  murmured  Esther,  "I  have  quite 
enough  money.  I  will  have  Quabba  get  our  horses 
from  the  stable  and  we  will  ride  to  the  station 
and  take  the  first  train  to  Los  Angeles." 

"You  will  think  some  time  of  me,  won't  you?"  asked 
Kansas  Em  huskily.  "Here  is  the  prayer  from  the 
locket.  Did  you  know  that  was  in  it?" 

"No,"  said  Esther,  "I  don't  think  any  one  knew  it. 


291 

There  seemed  to  be  a  secret  spring  that  was  touched." 

A  secret  spring  was  touched  in  the  sinful  breast  of 
Kansas  Em.  "Your  mother  put  it  there  when  you 
were  a  baby,"  she  murmured.  "I  know  it,  I  felt  it; 
there  is  a  faint  perfume  like  lavender  about  it.  A 
mother's  prayer!" 

Em  sobbed  as  she  took  the  paper  from  her  bosom, 
where  she  had  thrust  it  when  the  fight  had  begun  in  the 
dance-hall. 

"Even  a  sinner  like  I  am  is  made  the  better  by  it," 
continued  Em.  "And  will  you  pray  for  me?" 

"Always,"  said  Esther  brokenly,  as  she  took  the 
crumpled  paper  with  its  vague,  old-tune  perfume. 
Then  Esther  put  her  arms  around  the  outcast  elder 
woman  and  kissed  her. 

And  so  these  two  met,  and  so  they  parted.  It  would 
be  well  if  we  could  speak  of  an  outcast  redeemed,  a 
Magdalen  repentant  and  reformed.  But  Esther  went 
her  way  in  the  world  with  her  mother's  prayer  pro 
tecting  her,  and  Pete's  Palace  was  rebuilt  and  flourished 
within  the  fortnight  and  Kansas  Em  was  the  dance-hall 
belle  in  a  few  days,  just  the  same.  She  lived  her  life 
till  she  died  her  death,  and  wept  maudlin  tears  when 
she  was  drunk,  when  the  pianist  played  sentimental 
songs  of  home  and  mother. 

The  next  morning,  Marmaduke  Smythe  was  twenty 
miles  from  Mammoth.  With  cheerful  obstinacy  he 
strikes  eastward,  guided  by  the  sun.  Passing  horsemen, 
in  answer  to  his  questions,  have  told  him  the  nearest 
railroad  station  lies  to  the  westward.  But  Marmaduke 
Smythe  has  had  all  he  wishes  of  the  West.  England, 
home  and  beauty  lie  eastward,  he  knows,  and  eastward 


292  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

he  holds  his  course  with  that  sublime  English  obstinacy 
that  somehow  muddles  through. 

But  "The  Diamond  from  the  Sky"? 

Of  all  the  world,  Marmaduke  Smythe  is  unmoved  by 
its  powers  for  good  or  ill.  Whether  it  be  baleful  to 
those  who  have  no  claim  or  right  to  it  and  whether  it 
be  truly  a  charm  against  harm  for  Stanleys  of  the  blood, 
means  and  matters  nothing  to  Marmaduke  Smythe. 
He  feels  it  his  duty  to  surrender  it  to  the  Stanley  heir, 
but  meanwhile  it  is  a  responsibility  that  preys  upon 
him,  a  responsibility  he  does  not  deem  should  be  his. 

He  halts  by  a  signpost  that  reads:  "Twenty  Miles 
to  Mammoth!"  He  mops  his  brow  and  thinks,  and 
truly,  it's  a  long,  long  twenty  miles  that  he  has  come, 
bearing  with  him  by  its  shawl-strap  handle  the  deer 
head  that  he  bought  at  the  auction  at  Stanley  Hall. 
Personally,  the  deer  head  is  far  more  to  Marmaduke 
Smythe  than  all  the  diamonds  in  the  world. 

He  wrould  be  rid  of  the  diamond,  but  though  he  has 
long  lost  his  way  and  all  his  other  luggage,  he  still 
clings  to  the  deer  head  trophy,  as  an  Englishman  will 
cling  to  what  he  prizes  most,  be  it  his  accent,  his 
monocle  or  his  belief  that  Britons  never  will  be  slaves. 

Some  thirty  feet  from  the  road,  in  a  straight  line  with 
the  signpost,  is  a  great  live  oak  tree,  with  many  orifices. 
One  particularly  arrests  the  attention  of  Smythe  as  he 
walks  toward  the  tree.  It  is  a  hole  some  few  feet  from 
the  ground.  Smythe  hides  the  diamond  in  the  dark, 
soft  recesses  of  this  hole  in  the  live  oak  bole,  makes  a 
careful  memorandum  of  the  hiding  place  and  nearby 
landmarks  and  his  paced  measurement  to  the  road 
and  signboard.  Then  he  goes  his  way. 


A  Jewel  for  a  Queen  293 

His  way  leads  him  to  where  two  children  come  tod 
dling  down  the  road  with  their  dolls  and  playthings. 
A  glass  of  milk  would  refresh  him,  Smythe  thinks.  The 
children  indicate  their  dooryard  to  the  gaunt  but 
kindly  stranger,  and  there  Smythe  makes  his  way  and 
is  regaled  with  milk,  bread,  butter  and  honey  by  the 
rancher's  kindly  wife,  the  mother  of  the  little  children. 

The  children  go  down  the  road  to  play  "house,"  as 
is  their  custom,  beneath  the  live  oak.  A  re-arrange 
ment  of  the  "parlor  furniture"  means  that  the  sofa 
shall  be  moved  from  under  the  mantelpiece.  The  sofa 
is  the  stone  beneath  the  hole  in  which  the  diamond 
lies,  and  the  mantelpiece  is  the  tree. 

Toodles,  standing  on  the  "sofa,"  sees  the  gleaming 
locket  far  back  in  the  hole.  She  is  a  girl  child,  she 
knows  its  use,  and  with  cries  of  appreciation  and  delight 
she  seizes  it,  brings  it  forth  and  hangs  it  around  her 
dolly's  neck.  Immediately  her  little  sister  Polly  de 
mands  it,  nay,  even  grasps  it.  A  slap,  a  scream  and 
Toodles  jerks  away  the  necklace  and  walks  indignantly 
away,  with  both  her  doll  and  her  treasure  trove,  while 
little  Polly  patters  down  the  road  to  run  home  and 
tell  mama. 

At  the  ruins  of  his  dance  hall,  Peter  Huff  watches 
the  diggers  with  a  keen  glance  that  never  wavers.  The 
dead  that  are  brought  from  the  charred  debris  are  noth 
ing  to  Peter  Huff.  He  has  them  searched,  as  he  had 
the  living  and  the  wounded  searched — to  find  "The 
Diamond  from  the  Sky." 

A  little  old,  squat-built  workman  arouses  the  sus 
picion  of  Peter  Huff,  for  the  little  old  workman  has 
furtively  picked  up  and  secreted  some  shining  object. 


294  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

Forced  to  disgorge,  the  workman  shows  a  still  warm 
silver  dollar.  With  a  bitter  curse  of  disappointment 
and  anger,  Pete  smashes  the  little  old  digger  in  the 
face  and  knocks  him  sprawling. 

The  old  fellow  picks  himself  up  and  stanches  his 
bleeding  nose  on  his  dirty  blue  handkerchief.  "You 
think  I  had  the  diamond  that  was  lost  last  night,  eh?" 
he  asks.  "Well,  I'll  tell  you,  since  you've  been  so 
handy  with  your  fist;  one  of  the  boys  says  he's  seen 
that  stranger  with  the  side  whiskers  running  out  with 
the  diamond  when  the  fight  broke  loose!" 

There  is  such  an  air  of  sincerity  about  the  little  old 
fellow's  words  that  Peter  Huff  feels  a  gambler's 
"hunch."  He  rushes  from  the  work  at  the  promptings 
of  the  hunch,  and  commandeers  the  cheap,  old  auto 
mobile  of  a  friend,  and  with  this  friend  starts  in  pursuit 
of  the  fugitive  stranger,  with  the  side-whiskers.  So 
remarkable  a  figure  as  Smythe,  not  to  mention  the 
impedimenta  of  the  deer's  head,  has  left  a  blazed  trail. 
Twenty-one  miles  from  Mammoth,  Smythe  is  over 
taken  and  held  up  at  the  pistol's  point.  The  diamond 
is  not  on  his  person,  but  Pete  and  his  pal  find  the 
memorandum  of  its  hiding  place. 

Back  there  they  bear  the  protesting  Smythe.  The 
hole  is  searched,  but  the  diamond  is  gone. 

Pete  and  his  pal  part  from  the  lawyer  with  curses 
and  return  to  Mammoth.  They  pass  Toodles,  aged 
four,  crying  from  a  bee  sting  inflicted  in  the  apiary 
back  of  the  ranch  house.  Then  Toodles  runs  crying 
home  to  mother,  as  little  Polly  did  before  her. 

The  glistening  doll  ornament  she  found  has  been 
cast  aside  and  forgotten  by  Toodles.  She  had  been 


A  Jewel  for  a  Queen  295 

engrossed  with  it  as  she  crossed  the  bee  yard,  till  tres 
passing  too  near  a  swarming  hive,  she  had  been  stung. 
The  diamond,  flung  aside  by  the  child  in  pain,  lies  on 
the  alighting  board  of  the  beehive,  while  the  workers 
of  the  hive  push  out  the  drones  and  sting  them  to 
death  against  the  bauble  at  the  doorway. 

None  think  to  show  it  to  their  sovereign  bee,  and 
there  it  lies  although  a  jewel  for  a  queen! 

In  Los  Angeles,  the  newspapers  printed  in  large 
type,  on  their  front  pages,  stories  of  the  dramatic  first 
home-coming  to  his  great  mansion,  shattered,  insen 
sible,  more  dead  than  alive,  of  John  Powell,  the  young 
oil  and  mining  magnate. 

The  papers  spoke  feelingly  of  the  skill  and  untiring 
attention  of  the  celebrated  physician,  Doctor  Durand, 
and  of  the  care  and  attention  of  friends  of  the  injured 
man,  including  a  favorite  cousin,  Mr.  Blair  Stanley,  of 
Virginia,  who  had  recently  arrived  and  taken  complete 
charge  of  Mr.  Powell's  affairs. 

The  papers  also  mentioned  briefly  that  a  very  pretty 
and  agitated  young  woman  called  to  inquire  as  to  Mr. 
Powell's  condition,  but  refused  to  give  her  name  to  the 
servant,  who  informed  her  that  no  one  could  be  ad 
mitted  to  Mr.  Powell's  bedside  except  Doctor  Durand, 
and  the  nurse  in  charge,  Miss  Marston. 


CHAPTER  XX 
THE  SOUL  STRANGLERS 

JOHN  POWELL'S  business  went  on  in  the  more 
or  less  capable  hands  of  Blair  Stanley,  kinsman 
and  associate,  and  as  the  bulletins  from  the 
sick  room  announced  hopeful  progress,  the  ac 
cident  to  "The  Golden  Man"  ceased  to  be  a  three  days' 
wonder.     Other  sensational  happenings  and  events 
of  interest  supplanted  it  in  the  Los  Angeles  newspapers, 
and  John  Powell  and  his  affairs  gave  no  further  con 
cern  save  to  those  who  were  personally  interested. 

Esther,  after  her  first  rebuff  at  the  portals  of  the 
Powell  mansion,  returned  again  and  again  and  was 
persistent  in  her  demands  to  see  the  injured  man.  So 
persistent  was  she  that  finally  the  man-servant,  who 
answered  the  door,  could  no  longer  refuse  her,  and 
though  he  knew  his  position  was  in  jeopardy,  he  re 
ported  to  Miss  Marston,  the  nurse,  that  he  was  fearful 
the  young  lady  who  called  would  create  a  scene  unless 
she  was  granted  at  least  some  specific  information. 

It  was  not  as  a  timid  pleader  Esther  had  come  to  the 
so-called  Powell  mansion  on  this  last  occasion.  She 
was  determined  to  see  Arthur.  Tactfully  she  had 
waited,  with  the  watchful  Quabba  lingering  near,  until 
she  had  seen  Durand  and  his  shadow  and  accomplice, 
the  dapper  Count  de  Vaux,  leave  the  premises.  Blair 

296 


The  Soul  Stranglers  297 

Stanley,  she  knew,  was  at  Arthur's  office  in  full  charge 
of  his  affairs. 

Esther  had  no  desire  to  bring  notoriety  and  ruin 
upon  the  injured  man,  by  any  premature  disclosure 
of  his  real  identity,  if  she  could  avoid  it.  But 
she  was  determined  to  go  even  to  this  length  were  it 
necessary,  and  were  she  again  denied  access  to  the 
one  of  all  the  world  she  loved  with  every  fibre  of  her 
brave  and  loyal  little  heart. 

Some  intuitive  sense  of  Esther's  attitude  must  have 
impressed  Vivian  Marston,  for  she  did  not  upbraid  the 
man-servant;  instead  she  said:  "I  will  see  the  young 
lady,"  and  followed  the  servant  from  the  sickroom 
where  John  Powell  lay  in  fevered  sleep. 

But  Esther  had  not  waited  in  the  spacious  hall  of 
the  mansion.  When  the  servant  had  gone  upstairs  she 
slipped  into  the  library  and  when  Vivian  Marston 
and  the  servant  came  down  the  broad  stairway  together 
and  had  advanced  to  the  small  reception  room  off  the 
hall,  where  they  supposed  the  persistent  visitor  waited, 
Esther  glided  softly  around  behind  them  and  ran 
lightly  up  the  stairs. 

As  lightly  as  she  ran,  the  quick  ear  of  Vivian  heard 
her,  and  to  the  surprise  of  the  man-servant,  who  stood 
stock  still  at  these  strange  proceedings,  Vivian  sped 
after  Esther  and  detained  her  at  the  door  of  the  sick 
room. 

Vivian  was  in  her  costume  as  nurse,  a  masquerade 
she  had  assumed  in  furtherance  of  the  plot  against  the 
helpless  Arthur.  She  spoke  as  one  having  authority. 

"You  cannot  go  in  there!"  she  said  tensely.    "Mr. 


298  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

Powell  is  at  death's  door.  Any  intrusion  or  excitement 
would  be  his  death!" 

"He  is  not  Mr.  Powell.  You  know  who  he  is  and 
you  know  who  I  am,  and  I  will  see  him!"  replied 
Esther  firmly. 

"These  private  matters  should  be  left  till  the  patient 
is  able  to  decide  if  he  wishes  to  see  you  or  not," 
answered  Vivian.  "We  will  not  prevent  your  seeing 
him  when  he  is  able  to  see  any  one.  It  is  a  matter  of 
life  and  death.  Excitement  would  kill  him  now,  and 
scandal  will  ruin  him,  if  he  lives.  You  know  that." 

"I  will  be  quiet,  I  promise!"  panted  Esther.  And 
then  the  gross  effrontery  of  the  woman  occurred  to  her. 

"Who  are  you,  that  you  should  bar  my  way?"  asked 
Esther  in  a  low  but  steady  voice.  "And  who  are  these 
others  that  would  deny  me  access  to  one  who  is  nearer 
and  dearer  to  me  than  to  all  of  you,  yes,  to  all  the 
rest  of  the  world?" 

"I  tell  you,  those  are  matters  to  be  decided  by  him, 
and  only  when  he  is  in  condition  to  decide  them  per 
sonally.  If  you  love  him,  if  he  is  dear  to  you,  why 
should  you  risk  his  life  or  his  reason?"  reiterated 
Vivian. 

Esther  faltered.  Then  the  Stanley  spirit  asserted 
itself.  "Better  he  die  with  a  true  friend  by  him  than 
live  with  such  as  you  and  your  associates  ministering 
to  him!"  she  said  scornfully. 

Vivian  was  cool  and  kept  her  wits.  "That,  too,  will 
be  a  matter  for  Arthur — Mr.  Powell,  to  decide,  when 
he  is  able  to  decide  it,"  replied  Vivian.  "Will  you  be 
lieve  me  if  I  permit  you  to  enter  and  see  for  your 
self  that  he  is  delirious?" 


< 


The  Soul  Stranglers  299 

Esther  bowed  assent.  If  her  enemies,  for  she  knew 
they  were  her  enemies,  were  fighting  fairly,  it  behooved 
her  to  do  as  much. 

Vivian,  without  further  parley,  opened  the  door  and 
entered  the  room  with  Esther.  It  was  as  she  had 
said.  Arthur  lay  with  eyes  closed,  tossing  in  a  fevered 
sleep.  Esther  knelt  by  the  bedside  and  her  hand 
caressed  the  poor  bandaged  arm  near  her.  Her  gaze 
was  upon  the  fevered,  anguished  countenance  of  the 
suffering  man.  She  paid  no  heed  to  Vivian  who  passed 
by  the  foot  of  the  bed  and  took  a  small  instrument 
from  the  table  there.  Then  Vivian  passed  softly  to  the 
back  of  the  bed  between  the  injured  man  and  the  win 
dow.  She  laid  a  hand  as  though  soothingly  upon  the 
free  arm  of  the  unconscious  Arthur.  It  was  in  this 
manner  the  two  women — the  one  who  loved  him  above 
all  else  and  the  one  who  loved  him  not  at  all — waited 
in  the  silence  of  the  sickroom. 

Then  his  eyes  opened  and  he  saw  her.  "Esther,"  he 
murmured,  "is  it  you,  dear?" 

"Yes,"  she  whispered,  "it  is  Esther!" 

He  smiled  and  was  about  to  try  to  speak  again.  Then 
Vivian  moved  slightly.  A  film  passed  over  Arthur's 
dark  eyes,  they  closed  and  he  lay  still.  The  drug 
lulled  him. 

"You  see,  he  is  very  weak,"  said  Vivian  quietly. 
"This  meeting  has  been  a  shock  to  him.  Is  your  regard 
for  him  so  selfish  that  you  would  cause  his  death  to 
gratify  your  desire  to  intrude  further?" 

Esther's  fortitude  gave  way.  Arthur  was  so  wan, 
she  feared  even  now  that  the  hand  of  death  was  on  him. 
She  rose  to  her  feet  and  slowly  left  the  room,  followed 


300  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

by  Vivian,  who  closed  the  door  behind  her.  A  heavy 
dread  fell  upon  the  heart  of  Esther  at  this — it  seemed 
to  her  that  the  door  of  all  her  hopes  for  happiness  with 
Arthur  had  closed  forever. 

Callous  as  Vivian  Marston  was,  the  grief  and  heart 
ache  that  the  deep-blue,  steadfast  eyes  of  Esther  ex 
pressed  so  poignantly,  stirred  in  the  breast  of  the 
worldly  woman  some  tender  memory  of  her  youth. 

"I  am  a  trained  nurse,"  she  said,  "and  Doctor 
Durand  is  a  physician.  Our  friend  is  having  the  best 
of  care  and  treatment.  When  he  is  well  enough  you 
shall  see  him.  Till  then  we  must  abide  by  the  doctor's 
orders.  Believe  me,  I  am  your  friend  and  mean  no> 
harm  to  you  or  him.  On  the  contrary,  I  will  do  all  I 
can  for  both  of  you!" 

And  such  is  the  strangeness  of  these  perverse  natures, 
that  tears  welled  to  Vivian's  eyes,  and  for  a  few  mo 
ments  she  felt  sanctified  by  her  own  sympathy.  How 
ever,  when  Esther  had  departed  Vivian  forgot  the 
stirring  of  her  better  emotions  and  gave  strict  orders  to 
the  man-servant  not  to  admit  this  caller  again,  under 
penalty  of  dismissal. 

Esther  returned  to  her  hotel  sad  at  heart  and  torn 
with  conflicting  emotions.  Duty  called  her  to  Rich 
mond  where  Hagar  was  slowly  but  surely  recovering 
her  reason ;  and  duty,  and  stronger  still,  her  deep  and 
ardent  love  for  Arthur,  held  her  here — a  love  that  grew 
stronger  despite  the  strange  destiny  that  seemed 
forever  keeping  them  apart. 

Esther  had  been  in  communication  with  Blake,  the 
Richmond  detective,  whom  she  had  trusted  as  one 
disinterested  and  influential  friend.  This  night 


The  Soul  Stranglers  301 

she  wired  him  again  that  the  condition  of  their  friend 
—she  had  wired  him  previously  of  Arthur's  being  in 
jured — would  keep  her,  for  the  time,  in  Los  Angeles. 
And  while  she  slept  that  night,  perchance  to  dream 
of  happier  days  to  come,  a  strange  conclave — the 
stranglers  of  a  soul — was  gathered  in  the  luxuriously 
appointed  library  of  the  young  millionaire  who  lay, 
in  delirium  from  his  injuries  and  opiates,  upstairs. 

First,  there  were  Durand  and  his  jackal,  Felix,  Count 
de  Vaux.  Then  there  was  Vivian,  her  enticing  charms 
doubled  by  the  becoming  nurse's  uniform  she  wore; 
also  there  was  Blair  Stanley,  silent  and  sullen  while 
the  other  three  chattered  of  their  plans  and  strategies. 

From  a  millionaire's  luxurious  library  to  the  wild 
outdoors  is  a  distance  that  may  be  bridged  quickly  by 
thought.  But  the  soul  stranglers  who  plot  for  a  for 
tune  in  money  and  "The  Diamond  from  the  Sky"  have 
no  thought  of  a  rude  camp-fire  in  the  woods  not  twenty 
miles  from  where  the  man  whose  means,  mind  and 
heart-happiness  they  plot  against  was  injured,  and  by 
those  injuries  placed  helpless  in  their  hands. 

But  by  the  rude  camp-fire  are  two  paste-spattered, 
overall-clad,  circus  billposters;  and  they  are  pertinent 
to  the  plotters  in  the  shattered  man's  library,  in  far  Los 
Angeles.  For  the/,  though  they  do  not  know  it,  are 
near  to  one  great  object  for  which  the  plotters  seek  to 
strangle  a  soul — the  great  and  long  desired  diamond. 

The  diamond  lies  unnoticed  since  early  forenoon  on 
the  alighting  board  of  one  of  the  many  beehives  in  the 
apiary  of  Rancher  Jones.  It  lies  where  his  little  four- 
year-old  daughter  dropped  it  when  a  testy  bee  had 


302  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

stung  her  after  she  had  found  the  diamond  where 
Lawyer  Smythe  had  hidden  it. 

The  billposters  are  camped  in  the  woods  beneath  a 
great  dead  tree  not  five  hundred  yards  from  the  bee- 
yard  or  apiary  of  Rancher  Jones.  For  some  days  the 
billposters,  with  their  wagons  and  paraphernalia,  have 
made  the  straggling  barns  and  wayside  hoardings  of 
this  thinly  settled  region  blossom  gaudily  with  the  bills 
announcing  the  appearance  of  Santley's  Stupendous 
Circus. 

The  circus  is  playing  the  towns  and  cities  large 
enoug»h  to  meet  the  requirements  of  what  its  proprietor 
calls  "a  regular  show."  Santley's  Stupendous  Circus 
is  a  regular  show,  and  if  it  is  too  big  to  play  small  places 
such  as  Mammoth  and  vicinity,  yet  Mammoth  and 
vicinity  are  apprised  of  the  place  of  the  show,  and  the 
day  and  date. 

Their  fire  has  been  slow  in  starting,  but  now  it  burns 
well.  As  the  billposter,  who  is  called  Jack  Williams, 
bestirs  himself  to  mix  some  pancake  flour,  the  other 
billposter,  whose  name  is  Ben  Burk,  fumes  over  the 
rough  cuisine.  He  wipes  his  eyes,  which  are  still  wa 
tering  from  the  acrid  smoke  of  the  fire. 

"There  is  no  syrup,"  says  the  billposter  named  Burk, 
as  he  searches  among  the  dirty  tins  of  the  larder  and 
holds  the  syrup  can  and  shakes  it  by  a  doubting  ear. 
"I  told  you  not  to  make  flapjacks!" 

"What's  your  kick  about  molasses,  bo?"  asks  the 
pancake  expert,  turning  from  the  whitish  mass  he  is 
stirring.  "Didn't  we  pass  a  beeyard  not  a  quarter  of 
a  mile  down  the  road?  Take  a  plate  and  a  knife  and 
slip  down  in  the  dark — the  bees  are  union  bees  and 


The  Soul  Stranglers  303 

won't  be  working  at  night — and  swipe  some  honey  !'? 

The  other  looks  at  the  flapjack  maker  disgustedly. 

"I  should  think  you'd  be  sick  of  cooking  and  stirring 
paste  to  sling  up  bills  with  all  day,  without  mixing 
and  cooking  paste  to  eat  at  night!"  he  grumbles. 

"Beat  it!  Make  yourself  useful  and  go  get  some 
honey.  We  have  lots  of  time  before  we  have  a  fire  hot 
enough  for  flapjacks,"  says  the  other.  "If  I  do  not  cook 
flapjacks  you  won't  have  anything  to  eat  but  bacon — 
the  bread's  all  gone.  Close  your  trap,  and  go  swipe 
some  honey.  When  I  saw  those  beehives  I  got  to 
thinking  of  flapjacks  and  honey.  Anyway,  I've  got  to 
go  for  water  for  coffee.  It's  almost  as  far  for  water  as 
it  is  for  honey.  Beat  it!" 

So  the  billposter  named  Burk,  still  grumbling,  takes 
plate  and  knife  as  he  is  bidden  and  moves  off  in  the 
darkness  to  rifle  the  sweet  store  of  the  busy  bees  be 
yond. 

The  moon  shines  vaguely  just  above  the  sky  line,  its 
dim  light  barely  throwing  a  shadow  as  Burk  skulks 
across  the  field,  after  coming  out  of  the  wood,  and  en 
ters  the  rancher's  beeyard.  He  rocks  an  occasional 
hive  as  he  passes,  and  the  murmur  of  the  disturbed  bees 
sounds  dully  from  within  them.  None  of  the  hives  he 
rocks  seems  heavy  enough  to  presage  a  store  worth  rob 
bing,  and  Burk  with  plate  and  knife  still  skulks  along. 
He  pauses  at  last  by  one  that  rocks  with  weighty  re 
sistance,  and  he  is  about  to  life  the  cap  piece  when  he 
sees  something  gleaming  opalescent  in  the  moonlight 
on  the  alighting  board  of  the  rocking  hive.  Burk  stoops 
over  and  picks  it  up.  In  the  dim  light  from  the  moon 
he  sees  it  is  a  large  locket  attached  to  a  curious  chain 


304  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

of  dull  old  gold  of  ancient  workmanship.  But  the  face 
of  the  locket  is  what  has  gleamed  beneath  the  wan 
moon  rays. 

Burk  gasps  at  the  sight  of  it.  Was  ever  a  diamond  of 
such  a  size?  Burk  is  a  billposter  and  knows  little  of 
diamonds.  He  cannot  tell  diamonds  from  paste,  per 
haps;  but  he  can  tell  paste  from  diamonds. 

"I  wonder  if  it's  a  fake?"  he  gasps.  "Why,  a  real 
sparkler  of  this  size  would  be  worth  some  money!" 

Then,  as  if  prompted  by  some  old  burlesque  buffoon 
ery,  he  holds  the  shining  object  against  his  moistened 
tongue.  "Anyway,  it  ain't  alum,"  he  says.  Burk,  the 
billposter,  knows  alum ;  it  is  used  in  paste.  The  great 
white  stone  gleams  so  brightly,  as  the  moon's  light 
increases,  that  the  rough  billposter  is  half  convinced. 

"Oh,  lordy!  Suppose  it  is  a  real  diamond?"  he 
whispers  hoarsely.  And  he  forgets  that  he  has  dropped 
the  plate  and  knife  and  is  wandering  unconsciously 
away  from  the  hives  and  honey. 

When  he  reaches  the  fire  beneath  the  dead  tree  he 
notices  his  partner  is  absent.  He  holds  the  locket  in 
the  fire-light  and  is  rewarded  by  a  blazing  dazzle,  re 
flecting  the  crimson  glare  of  the  flames,  from  the 
faceted  stone  as  large  as  an  English  walnut. 

Then  he  hears  a  step  behind  him  and  springs  guiltily 
to  his  feet.  It  is  Jack  Williams  back  from  the  spring 
with  a  pail  of  water  for  their  coffee. 

"What's  the  excitement?  Whatcha  hiding  there?" 
asks  Jack  Williams  suspiciously. 

Burk  brings  the  chain  and  locket  into  view.  "Some 
thing  I  found,"  he  answers.  "Think  it's  worth  any- 


The  Soul  Stranglers  305 

thing?  Suppose  it  was  a  real  diamond,  and  as  big  as 
that?  Hullygee!" 

Williams  takes  it  and  examines  it  scornfully.  "A 
diamond,  that  size?"  he  asks.  "You're  daffy!  They 
ain't  made  that  big.  It's  what  the  fake  jewelry  guys 
call  'a  piece  of  big  slum' ! " 

"But  there's  nothing  cheap  looking  about  it;  that 
chain  ain't  brass  nor  the  locket  either,"  says  Burk. 

"Let's  give  it  the  real  test!"  remarks  Williams,  and 
going  over  to  the  wagon  he  removes  a  piece  of  glass 
from  one  of  the  sides  of  the  large  square  lantern  that  is 
part  of  their  equipment. 

The  uppermost  facet  of  the  stone  in  the  locket  is 
drawn  down  across  the  glass.  A  low  gritting,  slightly 
hissing  sound  follows.  The  amateur  lapidary  bends 
the  deeply  scratched  pane  of  glass;  it  severs  clear  and 
straight  along  the  line  of  the  deep  scratch. 

They  stare  at  it  dumfounded.  Then  Williams  says 
hoarsely:  "It's  a  real  diamond!  We  are  rich  men, 
Ben!" 

With  an  oath  Burk  snatches  the  chain  and  diamond 
from  the  shaking  hands  of  Williams. 

"You  ain't  got  no  claim  on  it!"  he  cries  with  hoarse 
greediness.  "Who  found  it?  Did  you?  Naw!  I 
found  it  and  it's  mine  and  I  don't  have  to  share  with 
nobody!" 

"Well,  keep  it,  you  damned  hog!"  cries  the  other. 
"There's  lots  of  junk  will  cut  glass.  I  have  been  good 
enough  pal  to  you  when  you  were  sick  and  broke 
and  up  against  it ;  and  if  that  thing  is  worth  anything, 
I  suppose  you  are  yellow  dog  enough  to  hog  it  all! 
But  this  shows  me  just  what  you  are.  If  the  thing 


306  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

is  worth  ten  pins  or  ten  millions,  I  want  no  part  of  it — 
you  dirty,  cheap  four-flusher  and  sneaking  swine!" 

And  they  make  no  coffee  and  cook  no  cakes,  nor  bite 
nor  sup  with  each  other,  but  with  hatred  and  greed  in 
their  hearts  they  lie  for  the  last  time  side  by  side.  One 
of  them  clutches  the  cursed  jewel  of  murder  and  dis 
sension  and  the  other  cannot  sleep  for  an  aching 
anguish  to  wrest  it  from  the  wretched  man  who 
found  it. 

In  the  library  of  the  Powell  mansion  in  far  Los 
Angeles,  the  soul  stranglers  speak  of  this  diamond  and 
wonder  when  it  will  come  into  their  greedy  hands. 

"I  came  out  here  to  get  that  stone,"  says  Durand. 
"It  will  turn  up,  it  always  does.  Meanwhile  here  are 
fat  pickings.  You,"  and  he  turned  to  Blair,  "get  every 
thing  in  your  hands  at  the  office  that  this  poor  boob 
upstairs  has.  I  will  take  care  that  if  he  ever  recovers 
in  mind  or  body,  he  will  never  cause  us  any  trouble. 
Once  morphine  gets  them,  that's  the  end.  We  will  have 
him  lie  down,  sit  up,  roll  over  and  play  dead — just 
as  we  say.  Talk  of  black  magic,  it's  nothing  to  white 
magic — morphine  sulphate ! " 

And  Durand  held  up  a  phial,  with  a  red  label,  in 
which  some  small  white  tablets  rattled. 

Blair,  who  had  been  fretting  and  fuming  in  sulky 
silence,  now  sprang  to  his  feet,  his  face  contorted  with 
anger  and  disgust. 

"You  white-livered  buzzards!"  cried  the  Virginian. 
"If  you  are  going  to  kill  him,  kill  him  like  men!" 

And  Blair's  hands  tensed  as  though  he  clutched 
some  hated  enemy  by  the  throat. 

"I  do  not  claim  to  be  a  saint!    But,  by  Heavens,  I 


The  Soul  Stranglers  307 

cannot  sit  still  and  look  at  your  pink  nails  and  smiling 
faces,  while  you  talk  of  dragging  down  the  very  soul 
of  a  battered,  shattered  man  to  a  living  state  of  degra 
dation  worse  than  death — if  he  recovers!"  he  went  on. 
"I  hate 'him,  and  I  have  always  hated  him.  He  stands 
in  my  way.  But  I  will  have  no  part  in  murdering  his 
manhood  with  drugs — feeding  him  slow  poison  of  body, 
soul  and  mind,  writh  a  smiling  face.  Damn  you,  I  spit 
on  you  all!" 

And  Blair  glared  menacingly  at  both  Durand  and 
de  Vaux  as  though  about  to  spring  upon  them. 

"Yes,  a  fine  bunch  of  cold-blooded,  cowardly  mur 
derers  for  money  you  two  are!"  hissed  Blair,  as  Du 
rand  and  de  Vaux  regarded  him  in  silent  amazement. 

"And  as  for  you,"  and  Blair  turned  upon  Vivian  in 
her  nurse's  garb  and  seized  her  by  the  wrist,  "take  off 
this  masquerade!  Let  us  kick  out  these  vermin,  and 
when  he  is  well  and  strong,  I'll  kill  him,  like  a  South 
erner  kills  his  enemy — man  to  man  and  face  to  face!" 

"You  are  a  fine  one  to  spout  heroics!"  sneered  Vivian. 

"Do  you  forget "  Then  Vivian  checked  herself, 

for  though  she  sneered  she  admired  Blair.  He  was  a 
man,  for  all  his  congenital  perversity.  She  had  no  in 
tention  of  taunting  him  now  for  his  having  murdered 
a  weak  old  man — Doctor  Lee — for  "The  Diamond  from 
the  Sky." 

Vivian  reflected,  too,  that  even  this  guilt  of  Blair's 
was  a  crime  of  sudden  passion  for  possession  of  the 
diamond,  and  panic  at  detection  in  the  theft  of  it. 
After  all,  it  was  not  the  cold,  insidious,  slow  murder — 
the  strangling  of  a  soul — the  others  purposed.  Her  face 
softened,  a  look  of  admiration  came  into  her  eyes,  she 


308  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

threw  her  arms  around  Blair  and  kissed  him  passion 
ately. 

Durand  and  de  Vaux  slipped  from  the  room,  and 
Vivian  held  Blair  in  her  embrace  and  worked  him  to 
her  will. 

But  his  heart  was  never  in  the  dastard  scheme  the 
drug  thugs  planned  and  carried  through. 


In  the  wilderness,  twenty  miles  from  the  mining 
town  of  Mammoth,  two  men  slept  in  blankets  beneath 
a  dead  tree  burning  at  its  base. 

Not  far  away,  the  English  lawyer,  foot-sore  from  his 
wanderings,  had  crouched  in  slumber  beneath  the 
shelter  of  a  bush.  In  the  night,  bird  and  beast  prey 
one  upon  another,  even  as  man  does.  An  owl  flew 
from  the  bush.  Some  furry  marauder  of  the  night  pur 
sued  it.  The  worn  Englishman  awoke  and  fled  in  panic. 

Beneath  the  dead  tree  Jack  Williams,  billposter, 
woke  from  his  fitful  dreams  of  the  diamond  and  the 
desire  that  possessed  him  for  it.  He  saw  the  great  dead 
tree  was  burned  almost  through  at  the  bottom  and  that 
it  wavered.  It  was  on  his  lips  to  scream  a  warning 
to  his  sleeping  comrade — but  thoughts  of  the  diamond 
prevented ! 

There  was  a  crackle,  a  tearing  sound — and  then  the 
great  dead  tree  bent  over  and  crashed  down,  crushing 
the  sleeping  man  beneath  it.  A  shower  of  sparks  rose 
in  the  air  from  the  ruptured  base,  where  the  fire  had 
eaten  until  the  tree  had  fallen. 

Ere  yet  his  writhing  comrade  died,  Williams  had 
despoiled  him  of  the  jewel  crushed  against  his  breast 


The  Soul  Stranglers  309 

by  the  fallen  tree  upon  him.  Then  with  trembling 
hands  the  murderer,  for  such  he  was,  hitched  the  horse 
to  the  wagon  and  drove  off  in  the  night,  holding  the 
baleful  diamond  ever  and  anon  in  the  light  of  the  lan 
tern  on  the  stanchion  by  the  wagon  seat. 

Marmaduke  Smythe,  of  London,  legal  representative 
of  the  Earls  of  Stanley,  ran  in  panic  through  the  woods. 
His  flight  was  arrested  by  a  dead  tree  across  his  path  ; 
the  base  of  this  fallen  tree  burned  and  smouldered. 
Smythe  looked  down  over  it  in  the  moonlight  and  saw 
the  upturned,  contorted  face  of  a  dead  man — another 
who  had  gained  in  life  and  lost  in  death — "The  Dia 
mond  from  the  Sky" ! 


CHAPTER  XXI 
THE  LION'S  BRIDE 

EVER  before  him  in  the  darkness  the  contorted 
face  of  a  dead  man,  and  ever  jangling  in  his 
breast  the  crystal  and  metal  trumpery  that 
cost  his  comrade's  life ! 

A  cold  sweat  was  on  the  forehead  of  Williams,  the 
billposter,  as  he  saw  these  things  and  felt  these 
things,  and  brutally  lashed  the  wretched  horse  galloping 
with  the  rickety  wagon  over  the  rough  mountain  road 
in  the  stifling  darkness. 

Through  sheer  fatigue  the  tortured  beast  would  set 
tle  to  a  jogging  trot,  and  then  the  sweating  man  would 
bring  forth  the  metal  and  crystal  trumpery  from  his 
breast  and  hold  it  in  the  flickering  light  of  the  lantern 
on  the  wagon  stanchion.  The  crystal  glistened  in  the 
light,  and  then  the  conscience-anguished  man  would 
fancy  the  red  rays  were  gleams  of  blood,  and  once  again 
his  fears  would  tear  his  frenzied  soul  and  he  would 
rise  and  lash  the  horse  with  rein  and  whip  like  a  mad 
man. 

Once  he  did  this  just  as  the  front  wheels  struck  a 
stump  or  boulder.  The  rickety  wheel  crashed,  the 
wagon  went  over  and  the  man  was  flung  out  head  first 
on  the  road.  With  the  collapse  of  the  wheel  the 
lantern  jolted  out,  broke  and  clattered  in  the  road, 

310 


The  Lion's  Bride  311 

as  the  wagon  toppled  over  and  the  frenzied  horse, 
relieved  of  his  dragging  burden,  sprang  with  a  flash 
of  renewed  strength  and  galloped  off  until,  entangled 
in  the  sundered  harness,  it  tripped  and  fell  heavily  and 
lay  heaving  and  helpless. 

Then,  cursing  the  deed  he  had  done,  and  the  trump 
ery  he  had  done  it  for,  Williams  roused  himself  and 
wiped  away  the  blood  that  ran  into  his  eyes  from  a 
deep  cut  in  his  forehead,  and  limped  off  into  the  night 
— but  still  holding  fast  to  the  great  diamond. 

Meanwhile,  Marmaduke  Smythe  fled  from  the  burn 
ing  fallen  tree  and  the  dead  man  beneath  it.  He  ran, 
forgetting  his  own  fears  and  misery  at  the  haunting 
memory  of  this  phantom  of  the  night.  The  moon 
came  from  behind  a  cloud  and  dimly  revealed  the  gray 
roof  and  dull  white  walls  of  the  ranch  house  by  the 
beeyard.  Toward  it  Smythe  ran  wildly  and  reaching 
its  door,  he  hammered  furiously  with  both  fists  and, 
forgetting  the  stolid  composure  of  a  lifetime,  screamed 
loudly,  he  knew  not  what. 

The  rancher,  roused,  came  down  to  the  door  in 
answer  to  the  clamoring  summons  in  the  night,  be 
hind  him  his  frightened  wife  holding  high  a  lamp. 
Frayed  and  tattered,  more  like  a  tramp  than  a  prim 
man  of  the  law,  the  half  hysterical  Englishman  told 
his  broken  story  of  a  dead  man  lying  beneath  a  burn 
ing  tree,  and  then  as  though  he  would  put  the  horrid 
occurrence  behind  him,  the  strange  messenger  turned 
and  fled  again. 

And  yet  for  all  his  fright  and  all  his  panic,  the  Eng 
lishman  had  clung  instinctively  to  the  deer  head  that 
had  been  his  impedimenta,  beloved  and  cherished,  since 


312  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

the  sale  at  Stanley  Hall — how  long  ago  that  was, 
whether  days  or  weeks  or  months,  Marmaduke  Smythe 
could  not  have  told. 

"It  was  all  a  horrid  nightmare,"  he  afterward  would 
say.  "America  is  all  right  for  the  Americans,"  he 
would  add,  "but  it  is  too  deucedly  weird,  wild  and  mur 
derous  for  a  British  subject  to  retain  any  desire  to  so 
journ  there.  Had  it  not  been  my  bounden  duty,  as 
legal  representative  of  the  Earls  of  Stanley,  to  find 
the  American  heir,  I  would  never  have  visited  or  loi 
tered  in  such  utterly  impossible  wildernesses  and  crude 
communities,  I  assure  you!" 

But  the  worst  of  Marmaduke  Smythe's  hardships  in 
darkest  America  were  over.  By  dawn  he  reached  a 
distant  ranch  and  encountered  a  bewhiskered  farmer 
driving  to  the  nearest  town.  Smythe  and  his  precious 
deer  head  rode  some  twenty  miles  in  more  or  less  com 
fort,  and  he  arrived  dusty,  tattered  and  torn,  at  a  fair 
sized  city. 

At  the  straggling  outskirts  of  the  town  he  plucked  up 
courage  again,  and  then  when  they  drove  up  a  business 
street,  the  sign  "King  George  Hotel" — above  a  some 
what  middle  class  hostelry  to  have  so  high  sounding  a 
name — attracted  his  attention.  Smythe  clutched  the 
arm  of  the  old  rancher  who  drove  him. 

"If  you  will  stop  here,  I  will  alight,  thank  you!"  he 
said. 

The  farmer  stopped  his  horse  at  the  curb.  Smythe 
paid  him  and  thanked  him  again  and  crossed  the  street, 
carrying  his  deer  head  trophy,  also  dusty  and  travel 
marked. 


The  Lion's  Bride  313 

The  day  clerk  loitering  at  the  doorway  smiled  at  the 
eccentric  looking  figure  before  him. 

"I  have  been  lost  in  the  wilderness  and  suffered  un 
told  hardships  for  a  fortnight,"  stammered  Smythe. 
"Could  I  secure  a  room  and  bawth?" 

"Sure!"  said  the  matter-of-fact  hotel  clerk.  "You 
can  have  two  rooms  and  two  'bawths/  if  you  pay  for 
them." 

Marmaduke  Smythe  took  off  his  hat,  pressed  it  in 
a  reverential  manner  to  his  breast,  gazed  again  at  the 
sign  at  the  doorway  of  the  hotel  and  cried  fervently: 
"God  Save  the  King!" 

Then  a  dizziness  overcame  him,  his  eyes  closed  and 
he  swooned  back  stiffly  on  his  heels.  Hogan,  the  head 
porter,  passing  by  with  a  hand  truck,  deftly  followed 
the  quick  gesture  of  the  clerk  and  ran  the  truck  under 
the  heels  of  the  swooning  Smythe,  as  he  fell  stiffly 
back,  still  holding,  however,  to  the  deer  head  with 
tenacious  grip. 

Thus  was  Lawyer  Marmaduke  Smythe,  out  of  the 
wilderness  at  last,  delivered  safely  to  a  room  and 
"bawth,"  while  the  day  clerk  signed  the  register  for 
him  as  "Lord  Saveus,  London,  Eng." 

In  Los  Angeles  Esther  resolutely  stayed  on,  deter 
mined  to  see  Arthur  again  despite  the  efforts  she  knew 
were  being  made  by  those  who  surrounded  the  in 
jured  man  to  prevent  it. 

She  did  not  trust  to  Vivian's  promise  that  she  should 
see  Arthur  when  he  was  conscious  or  recovered.  Day 
by  day  she  called  at  the  Powell  mansion,  as  Arthur's 
beautiful  residence  was  known,  and  day  by  day  she 


314  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

received  word  from  the  impassive-faced  man-servant 
that  Mr.  Powell  could  see  no  one. 

Then  one  day  she  was  told  that  Mr.  Powell  had 
been  taken  early  that  morning  to  a  sanitarium  and 
that  his  condition  was  still  serious,  so  far  as  the  results 
of  his  mental  injuries  were  concerned,  but  that  physi 
cally  he  had  improved. 

This  statement  was  true  only  in  so  far  as  it 
was  the  desire  of  Durand  and  Vivian  to  have  John 
Powell  removed  from  the  city.  But  weak-willed  as  he 
was  under  the  drug  addiction,  their  patient  was  stub 
bornly  set  against  leaving  Los  Angeles.  He  hardly 
dared  mention  the  name  of  Esther  or  ask  questions 
concerning  her,  for  since  his  physical  and  mental 
weakness  had  been  augmented  by  the  drugs,  which  he 
now  used,  as  he  thought,  in  secret,  the  whole  effort  of 
Durand,  de  Vaux,  Vivian,  and  even  Blair,  had  been  to 
convince  him  that  his  recollections  of  having  seen 
Esther  were  but  the  manifestations  of  periodic  insanity, 
caused  by  his  injuries. 

Besides  a  slight  concussion  of  the  brain,  his  collar 
bone  and  right  arm  had  been  badly  fractured,  and  the 
working  of  bone  splinters  from  these  injuries  had 
caused  the  direst  physical  anguish.  To  deaden  these 
agonies,  Durand  in  his  role  as  physician  and  Vivian 
Marston  in  her  masquerade  as  nurse,  had  administered 
pain-deadening  drugs.  But  as  Arthur  had  gained 
strength,  they  had  refused  him  morphine  when  the 
pains  came  on  him.  They  refused  him  and  counselled 
him  against  the  danger  of  drug  addiction,  but  they  had 
weakened  his  will  and  the  plotters  took  good  care  that 


The  Lion's  Bride  315 

the  drug  was  where  he  could  gain,  as  he  supposed, 
secret  access  to  it. 

And  so  the  soul  stranglers  had  achieved  their  dread 
ful  purpose. 

Between  their  concerted  suggestion  and  the  use  of 
drugs,  Arthur  became  convinced  that  his  obsession 
regarding  Esther  was  a  manifestation  of  madness,  and 
he  grew  terrified  at  the  thought  of  it  and  endeavored 
to  keep  Esther  from  his  mind. 

A  revulsion  and  distaste  for  his  business  affairs  took 
possession  of  him.  He  was  weak  in  mind  and  body, 
except  when  an  occasional  flash  of  his  old  spirit  rose 
above  the  dulling  forgetful  ness  of  drugs  and  physical 
weakness. 

It  was  but  rarely  Vivian  and  Blair  had  chance  to 
consult,  for  Durand  distrusted  Blair,  and  ever  his  spy 
ing  accomplice,  de  Vaux,  was  by.  "How  is  Arthur?" 
asked  Blair  upon  one  of  the  few  occasions  he  and 
Vivian  were  alone.  "I  mean  how  is  he  really?"  Blair 
added.  "For  I  don't  believe  a  word  that  cursed  Du 
rand  says  in  his  smug,  fake-doctor  phraseology." 

"Arthur  grows  stronger  bodily  every  day,"  said 
Vivian,  "but  his  dope-taking  makes  him  a  mental  weak 
ling.  He  whines  continually  and  sometimes  he  cries 
like  a  little  child.  This  is  when  he  thinks  of  Esther." 

Blair  scowled.  "And  then  you  all  turn  in  and  tell 
the  poor  devil  that  any  thought  of  Esther,  any  re 
membrance  of  seeing  her  since  he  left  Virginia,  is  a 
sign  that  one  of  his  crazy  fits  is  on  him?"  he  asked. 

"Yes,  what  between  his  hurts  and  the  dope  he  now 
takes — on  the  sly,  he  thinks — he  is  helpless  in  our 
hands,"  replied  Vivian.  "It  is  the  only  way  we  could 


316  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

work  it.  A  little  more  drugging  and  suggestion,  and  we 
could  permit  the  girl  to  kneel  at  his  feet  and  beg  him 
to  speak  to  her,  and  he  would  only  be  frantic  with  the 
thought  that  he  had  an  insane  spell  and  was  seeing 
things." 

Bad  as  Blair  was,  there  was  something  in  the  Stanley 
blood  that  made  such  a  slow-working,  soul-wrecking 
conspiracy  revolting  to  him.  He  sprang  from  his  seat, 
his  face  working  with  rage. 

"I'll  have  no  more  of  this!"  he  cried.  "Whether  Ar 
thur  Stanley  is  the  actual  heir  to  the  Stanley  Earldom 
in  England  and  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky/  or 
whether  he  is  a  gipsy  changeling,  as  Luke  Lovell  hints, 
I  do  not  care.  I  have  hated  him  since  boyhood,  and 
I  hate  him  now !  He  stands  in  my  way,  but  he  always 
fought  fair.  This  way  of  dragging  his  manhood  out  of 
him  with  drugs,  is  not  mine!" 

"You're  a  nice  one  to  talk!"  cried  Vivian.  "I  sup 
pose  you  hate  this  job?"  And  with  an  expressive  ges 
ture  she  indicated  the  luxurious  private  offices  of  the 
Good  Hope  Oil  Company,  the  headquarters  of  John 
Powell's  oil,  mining  and  other  industrial  ventures 
of  which  Blair  Stanley,  as  a  relative  and  a  supposed 
business  associate  and  interested  capitalist  from  the 
East,  had  taken  full  charge. 

Blair  winced.  The  shot  had  gone  home.  If  Arthur 
Stanley,  as  "John  Powell,"  recovered  in  body  and 
health,  if  he  shook  off  the  shackles  of  morphine  and 
rid  himself  of  the  harpies  who  surrounded  him,  it 
would  mean  the  end  of  the  power  and  authority  that 
had  become  sweet  to  Blair. 


The  Lion's  Bride  317 

Vivian  laughed  as  she  noted  Blair's  changed  expres 
sion. 

"You  see,"  she  said,  "you  may  hate  Durand  and  you 
may  despise  de  Vaux,  but  after  all  it  was  a  good  thing 
for  you  that  Durand  was  present  when  Arthur  was 
injured  and  saved  his  life  and  brought  him  back.  Du 
rand  has  played  fair  with  you  and  put  you  in  the 
saddle  here.  So  it  was  lucky  for  you  he  and 
de  Vaux  came  West  to  find  'The  Diamond  from  the 
Sky'!" 

At  these  words  Blair  burst  into  a  rage  again  and 
he  grasped  Vivian  by  the  wrist.  "They  shall  never 
have  that!"  he  cried  fiercely.  "The  Powell  millions, 
made  in  oil  or  mines,  are  just  as  any  other  dirty  money 
to  me.  But  the  diamond  belongs  to  the  Stanleys  alone! 
It  came  from  no  human  hand,  but  fell  from  the  stars 
in  a  molten  meteor.  It  was  born  of  a  miracle  to  our 
adventurer  ancestor.  If  a  hundred  lives  stand  in  my 
way,  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky'  shall  never  be  the 
vulgar  swag  of  thieves,  cut  up  to  be  made  marketable 
and  hawked  through  the  jewel  marts  of  the  world!" 

At  this  juncture,  a  telegram  was  delivered  to  Blair. 
It  was  from  Mrs.  Randolph.  It  announced  that  Blair's 
mother  was  dying,  stricken  with  paralysis,  and  begged 
him  to  return  home  at  once. 

Vivian  threw  her  arms  around  him.  "Blair,"  she 
cried,  "they  must  never  have  the  diamond!  I  would 
suffer  myself  to  be  cut  to  bits  rather  than  it  should 
meet  a  shameful  fate  like  that!  Your  first  duty  is  to 
me !  You  must  not  leave  me  here  to  fight  Durand  and 
de  Vaux  alone — even  for  a  dying  mother!" 

And  these  two  looked  into  each  other's  eyes  and  un- 


318  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

derstood  and  trusted  each  other  fully,  for  they  both 
remembered  the  night  of  the  Randolph  ball — the  first 
time  in  a  generation  the  Stanley  diamond  had  blazed 
upon  the  breast  of  a  fair  woman,  and  that  woman  was 
yivian  Marston! 

In  many  things  they  could  and  would  be  the  accom 
plices  of  the  suave  Durand,  the  King  of  Diamonds,  and 
the  rest  of  "the  pack,"  but  this  priceless  gem  was  the 
Stanley  heritage  and,  base  as  Blair  was,  his  honor, 
though  rooted  in  dishonor,  stood.  He  would  have  died 
a  thousand  deaths  ere  "The  Diamond  from  the  Sky" 
should  be  partitioned  and  debased;  and  yet  he  would 
have  clasped  it,  whole  and  priceless,  around  the  neck 
of  the  woman  he  loved  with  a  kiss.  That  was  the 
Stanley  way — the  wicked  Stanley  way!  For  the  sake 
of  this  woman  and  a  great  jewel,  they  schemed  for, 
Blair  gave  no  further  heed  to  his  filial  duty ! 


"The  big  blow  off"  of  Santley's  Stupendous  Circus, 
as  its  proprietor  would  say,  was  undoubtedly  La  Belle, 
the  Lady  of  Lions. 

Splinters,  the  clown,  was  a  big  hit,  too.  But 
La  Belle's  act  with  the  fierce,  great  Nubian  lion,  Lance 
lot,  was  the  "blow  off."  It  was  the  last  act  on  the 
bill  and  sent  the  crowds  away  thrilled  and  satisfied. 

Of  herself,  La  Belle  was  new  to  the  show  this  sea 
son,  and  Splinters  was  her  husband.  She  was  bold 
and  handsome,  and  Splinters,  the  clown,  was  tormented 
with  many  a  bitter  pang  of  jealousy  through  her  co 
quetries. 

Sam  Santley,  proprietor  of  Santley's  Stupendous  Cir- 


The  Lion's  Bride  319 

cus,  was  what  is  known  as  a  working  boss.  Through 
devious  ways,  luck  at  gambling,  and  by  the  exercise 
of  sharp  practices,  he  had  gained  his  way  from  card 
shark  to  ownership  of  a  show  that  bore  his  name.  Six 
foot  of  that  coarse  type  that  is  known  as  "handsome" 
in  the  flash  circles  of  the  show  business,  Santley  per 
sonally  supervised  his  own  show  from  "big  top"  to 
cook  tent.  He  acted  as  ringmaster  and  announcer  when 
the  star  acts  were  on.  Between  times,  he  looked  care 
fully  after  the  nickels  and  dimes  that  paid  for  ciga 
rettes  and  bottled  beer  in  the  "privilege  tent"  and 
"privilege  car"  as  closely  as  he  looked  after  the  quar 
ters  and  dollars  that  bought  the  "broads"  at  the  ticket 
wagon. 

When  Sam  Santley  published  his  call  for  show  peo 
ple  in  the  amusement  journals,  there  was  one  line  that 
was  always  in  the  advertising.  This  line  read :  "Booz 
ers  and  chasers  do  not  write.  You  will  not  last  a 
minute!" 

Translated  from  circus  jargon,  this  delphic  utter 
ance  meant  that  drunkards  and  male  flirts  need  not 
endeavor  to  join  with  Santley's  circus.  The  reason  of 
this  was  that  Mr.  Sam  Santley  attended  to  all  these 
matters  of  Bacchus  and  Venus  himself. 

He  sold  beer  to  the  "grifters,"  "kinkers"  and  "razor- 
backs" — that  is,  the  sure-thing  gamblers  and  pick 
pockets — and  the  others  of  the  show.  But  when  there 
was  hard  drinking  to  be  done  with  that  show,  Sam 
Santley  did  it  himself  and  got  murderously  and  then 
soddenly  drunk,  only  to  be  up,  more  or  less  red-eyed 
and  trembling,  and  yet  alert  and  on  the  job,  when  the 
"big  tops  went  up  on  the  lot"  the  following  morning. 


320  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

And  as  for  the  ladies — the  "Janes,"  he  called  them — 
Mr.  Santley  also  monopolized  the  fair.  Woe  to  any 
of  his  circus  people  who  transgressed  the  bounds  of 
strict  morality  with  his  show!  But  with  himself  it 
was  another  matter,  and  Sam  Santley  looked  with  long 
ing  eyes  on  La  Belle,  the  Lady  of  Lions. 

The  show  had  reached  Los  Angeles,  playing  up 
through  Lower  California  and  the  Texas  border.  Bus 
iness  looked  good,  and  Sam  Santley  himself  walked 
from  the  performers'  entrance  of  the  "big  top"  highly 
pleased  with  himself  and  the  world  in  general. 

In  the  performers'  entrance,  La  Belle,  the  Lady  of 
Lions,  had  given  him  a  smile.  Splinters,  the  clown, 
had  seen  it,  and  his  face  had  contorted  in  jealous 
hatred  under  his  bismuth  make-up. 

Then  Sam  Santley  had  strode  to  the  "privilege 
tent,"  where  his  advertising  men,  and  the  followers 
of  the  circus  generally,  met  for  social  converse  when 
"on  the  lot."  When  the  performance  was  going  on  in 
the  big  tent,  there  was  a  lull  for  the  grinders,  door- 
talkers  and  shillabars,  not  to  mention  the  plate-board, 
cane  and  doll-rack  men  and  other  purveyors  of  amuse 
ment  out  and  in  the  side-shows.  This  lull  was  taken 
advantage  of  by  dropping  in  to  the  "privilege  tent" 
for  bottled  beer  and  perhaps  a  brisk  "pass"  or  two  at 
craps.  All  these  things  paid  Sam  Santley.  He  sold 
the  bottled  beer  at  a  profit,  and  no  temporary  game 
with  the  crap  dice  was  so  short  but  what  the  official 
"pass  picker"  swept  in  Mr.  Santley's  percentage. 

At  the  entrance  of  the  "privilege  tent,"  Sam  Sant 
ley  in  his  ringmaster's  costume  is  accosted  by  a  grimy, 


The  Lion's  Bride  321 

shambling,  shaking  man,  in  a  stained  and  tattered  suit 
of  paste-marked  overalls: 

"What's  the  matter  with  you  ?  Get  out  of  the  way ! " 
growls  Santley. 

The  creature  before  him  moistens  his  lips  and  mum 
bles:  "I  am  Williams,  boss,  Jack  Williams.  I  was  out 
with  the  bill-posting  outfit,  don't  you  remember?" 

"Why  aren't  you  out  with  it  now?"  snarls  Santley. 
"Got  drunk,  I  suppose,  and  quit  the  job  cold,  and  now 
you're  here  with  a  hang-over,  panhandling!  Get  off 
the  lot  before  you're  kicked  off!  As  for  any  money, 
you  don't  get  a  jitney!  Beat  it!" 

"But  listen,  boss!  I  wasn't  drunk,  I  didn't  quit!  I 
walked  a  hundred  miles  like  a  crazy  man!  A  tree 
fell  on  the  wagon  in  the  woods,  way  back  in  the  inte 
rior,  and  killed  Ben  Burk  and  the  horse,  and  smashed 
the  wagon " 

"Come  in,  and  tell  me!"  interrupted  Santley.  For 
the  loss  of  a  horse  and  bill-posting  wagon  was  some 
thing  to  worry  about.  That  Burk  had  been  killed,  did 
not  matter  much.  Bill-posters  cost  nothing.  It  is 
different  with  horses  and  wagons. 

Then  seeing  Williams  was  shaking,  as  with  ague, 
Santley  ordered  a  drink  of  whiskey  from  his  private 
stock  for  him.  Williams  gulped  it  down  and  told  his 
story  as  best  suited  him.  But  he  said  no  word  re 
garding  the  trumpery  that  had  been  the  real  cause  of 
the  death  of  Burk,  the  bill-poster,  and  the  loss  of  the 
horse  and  wagon. 

A  game  of  craps  attracted  Santley's  attention  after 
he  had  made  a  mental  calculation  that,  after  all,  the 
horse  was  a  foundered  old  bit  of  crowbait,  and  the 


322  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

wagon  a  rickety  affair  that  could  be  replaced  in  the 
bill-posting  department  at  slight  cost. 

"A  hundred  dollars,  at  the  outside,  is  the  loss," 
thought  Santley  to  himself. 

He  always  had  been  lucky  at  dice.  The  cynical  idea 
occurred  to  him  that  he  might  here  in  a  brief  moment 
recoup  this  loss.  He  drew  a  roll  of  bills  from  his  pocket, 
tossed  a  hundred-dollar  note  on  the  crap  table  and 
growled:  "Why  shoot  for  chicken  feed?" 

Ragged,  unkempt,  without  a  dollar  in  his  pocket, 
and  realizing  Santley  would  absolve  himself  from  any 
wages  that  might  be  due,  because  of  the  loss  of  the 
horse  and  wagon,  the  miserable  bill-poster  eyed  the 
hundred-dollar  banknote  hungrily.  Instinctively  his 
hand  searched  his  clothes,  and  instinctively,  and  as  if 
drawn  by  fate,  the  wretched  man  brought  forth  "The 
Diamond  from  the  Sky." 

Santley  eyed  the  chain  and  the  jewel  in  the  locket 
curiously.  He  thought  how  it  would  adorn  the  fair 
throat  of  the  coquettish  La  Belle,  the  Lady  of  Lions. 

"I  shoot  a  hundred  bucks  against  the  junk!"  he 
growled,  and  tossed  the  dice  to  Williams. 

The  necklace  with  the  great  diamond  clattered  to 
the  table.  Williams  seized  the  dice  with  trembling 
hand  and  rolled  them  along  the  table  top.  "Come, 
Seven ! "  he  gasped,  and  snapped  the  thumb  and  finger 
of  the  casting  hand. 

The  dice  rolled,  paused,  spun,  rocked  and  settled. 
Two  aces  were  uppermost.  A  losing  first  throw ! 

Santley  chuckled,  swept  the  stakes  up  in  his  hairy 
paw,  and  laughed  hoarsely  at  the  chalk-faced,  trem 
bling  wretch  who  had  lost  the  guerdon  for  which  he 


The  Lion's  Bride  323 

had  reached  up  from  the  knees  of  murder — "The  Dia 
mond  from  the  Sky!" 

That  night,  it  blazed  upon  the  breast  of  a  false 
woman.  That  night,  Splinters,  the  clown,  crept  in  the 
cage  of  Lancelot,  the  lion,  and  whispered  into  his  ears 
the  secret  and  the  shame.  And  the  lion  nodded  as 
though  he  understood. 

The  next  day,  Quabba  learned  through  a  fellow- 
countryman,  the  gardener  at  the  Powell  mansion,  that 
Mr.  John  Powell  had  not  been  taken  to  a  sanitarium 
to  convalesce.  In  fact,  Quabba  learned  that,  physi 
cally,  Mr.  John  Powell  had  so  far  recovered  that,  at 
the  doctor's  order,  he  could  now  be  taken  out,  and  to 
divert  him,  his  friends  were  to  take  him  to  the  circus 
that  very  afternoon. 

Esther  received  the  information  late,  and  had  arrived 
with  Quabba  and  entered  the  great  tent  when  the 
performance  was  well  under  way.  At  the  end  of  the 
aisle  near  where  she  sat,  and  at  the  very  edge  of  the 
hippodrome  track,  was  the  private  box  containing 
Arthur,  Blair,  Vivian,  Durand  and  de  Vaux.  All  eyes 
were  turned  upon  the  arena  where  Santley  was  an 
nouncing  the  thrilling  and  sensational  act  to  follow: 
"La  Belle,  the  Lady  of  Lions,  and  Lancelot,  the  su 
perb,  untamed  Nubian  King  of  Beasts!" 

Esther  crept  slowly  down  by  the  box  to  speak  to 
Arthur,  when  suddenly  all  in  that  box  rose  to  their 
feet  with  a  gasp  of  astonishment,  for  there  on  the 
breast  of  the  woman  in  the  lion's  cage,  gleaming  and 
dazzling  in  a  shaft  of  sunlight,  blazed  "The  Diamond 
from  the  Sky"! 

Then  a  loud  cry  of  horror  arose  and  the  vast  audi- 


324  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

ence  heaved  as  a  wave  heaves,  for  the  lion  had  sprung 
at  the  woman  ere  her  smirk  could  change  to  a  look 
of  fear,  and  had  struck  her  down  and  with  his  cruel 
claws  rent  her  fair  bosom  and  tore  away  the  gleam 
ing  jewel  there. 

Santley  shrieked  and  sprang  forward,  and  just  then 
the  clown,  Splinters,  standing  behind  him,  drew  a  pistol 
from  his  pierrot  garb  and  shot  him  through  the  back ! 

The  lion's  paw  drew  away,  bearing  the  diamond  with 
it  to  the  cage  edge,  and  a  hand  reached  for  it — and 
then  the  crowd  surged  out  in  panic,  screaming  hoarsely 
in  horror,  and  Arthur  and  Esther  were  torn  apart  from 
each  other  by  the  human  wave. 


CHAPTER  XXII 
THE  ROSE  IN  THE  DUST 

WITH  the  pandemonium  that  followed  the 
swift    death    meted    to    the    Lady    of 
Lions,  struck  down  in  her  sins,  every 
evil  passion  broke  loose  in  the  panic 
at  Santley's  circus. 

Santley,  struck  down  in  his  sins,  also,  and  Splinters, 
the  clown,  dead  by  his  own  hand  after  the  venge 
ance  of  his  frenzied  brain,  were  trod  upon  and  further 
disfigured  as  the  crowd  fought  and  struggled.  Show 
men  at  the  performers'  entrance,  hearing  the  pistol 
shots  and  the  hoarse  cries  of  the  crowd  as  it  rose  to  its 
feet  and  surged  for  the  exits,  imagined  a  murderous 
altercation  between  town  roughs  and  the  circus  men 
had  broken  loose. 

The  circus  men's  rallying  cry,  "Hey,  Rube!"  was 
raised.  The  canvas  men,  the  vicious  swindlers,  the 
agile  acrobats — all  those  who  knew  a  tragedy  had  hap 
pened  but  had  not  sensed  what  it  was — seized  tent 
pegs  and  stakes,  drew  forth  brass  knuckles  and  slung- 
shots  and  struck  sickening  blows  right  and  left  at  every 
head  in  sight. 

Roughs  cut  the  ropes  and  tore  down  the  half- 
vacated  seats  and  added  to  the  general  frenzy  of  fright, 
destruction  and  panic. 

325 


326  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

But  from  the  first  tragic  happening,  the  death  of  La 
Belle  under  the  lion's  paw,  a  greedy  eye  had  been  upon 
the  blazing  "Diamond  from  the  Sky." 

As  the  paw  of  Lancelot,  the  lion,  drew  away  from 
the  scarred,  dead  breast  of  his  faithless  mistress,  the 
chain  to  the  diamond  locket  became  entangled  in  his 
cruel,  blood-stained  claws. 

As  the  lion,  roaring  in  his  maddened  rage,  faced  the 
frenzied  throng  at  his  cage  bars,  the  diamond  dangled 
out  over  the  dead  faces  of  Santley  and  Splinters. 

Foremost  in  the  throng  seeking  escape  from  the 
scene  of  horror  was  Sankey,  the  stableman  where 
Quabba  kept  his  outfit.  Sankey  was  holidaying  here 
at  the  circus,  as  were  half  of  the  townsfolk.  He  had 
seen  the  diamond  glittering  on  the  breast  of  the  fair 
and  faithless  La  Belle;  he  had  seen  the  lion  strike  her 
down  and  drag  the  diamond  to  the  cage  edge;  he 
swiftly  strode  across  the  bodies  of  the  dead  men  out 
side  the  cage,  snatched  at  the  bloody  bauble  and  drew 
it  from  the  claws  of  the  lion. 

The  fight  and  the  panic  surged  about  him.  Others, 
as  greedy  and  grasping  in  the  face  of  death  as  Sankey, 
snatched  too  at  the  great,  gleaming  jewel  in  their  ef 
forts  to  despoil  the  despoiler. 

The  maelstrom  of  the  struggle  was  where  Sankey 
was  fighting  to  keep  the  diamond,  just  beneath  the  box 
where  stood  the  agitated  party  with  John  Powell. 

Durand  grasped  at  the  diamond  as  it  passed  be 
neath  him;  Blair  sprang  out  of  the  box  to  try  to 
seize  it,  but  some  one  struck  him  a  stunning  blow  from 
behind  and  so,  at  the  head  of  the  surging  throng,  all 
desperately  struggling  for  it,  the  accursed  heirloom  of 


The  Rose  in  the  Dust  327 

the  Stanleys  passed  close  by  Esther  and  Quabba  like 
the  gleaming  thing  of  evil  that  it  was,  in  evil  hands. 

Earlier  in  the  day  Smythe,  freshly  clothed,  rested 
and  revived  after  his  wandering  in  the  wilderness, 
had  called  at  the  offices  of  the  Good  Hope  Oil  Com 
pany. 

Here  he  had  met  Blair  and  Vivian  Marston.  They 
gave  him  no  clue  that  the  man  he  sought  as  "John 
Powell,"  for  information  regarding  Arthur  Stanley, 
was  Arthur  Stanley  himself. 

Smythe  had  never  met  the  man  he  sought  except 
once,  briefly  in  the  wilderness,  and  here  taciturnity  on 
both  sides  in  a  casual  meeting  had  prevented  either 
knowing  the  purpose  or  name  of  the  other. 

Briefly,  at  the  office,  Smythe  had  discussed  with  Blair 
and  Vivian  the  kindred  subject  of  the  Stanley  Earl 
dom  and  "The  Diamond  from  the  Sky."  Smythe  had 
no  interest  in  the  diamond ;  it  was  but  an  heirloom  of 
doubtful  value  in  his  eyes,  an  heirloom  pertaining  to 
the  American  Stanleys  only.  But  the  English  title 
concerned  him  much,  and  he  had  informed  Blair  that 
until  it  was  proved  definitely  that  the  fugitive  Arthur 
Stanley  was  dead,  the  claim  of  Blair  to  both  the  dia 
mond  and  the  Stanley  Earldom  in  England  could  not 
be  allowed.  But  Blair,  Smythe  admitted,  was  next  of 
kin  and  next  in  succession. 

After  leaving  the  offices  of  the  Good  Hope  Oil  Com 
pany,  the  English  lawyer  had  visited  the  Powell  man 
sion,  hoping  to  gain  further  information  there,  but 
learning  that  the  injured  Mr.  Powell  was  so  far  re 
covered  that  his  friends  had  taken  him  to  the  circus, 
he  also  went  thither. 


328  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

He  arrived,  as  he  usually  arived  anywhere  in  bewil 
dering  America,  too  late.  The  circus  performance  was 
ending  in  tragedy  and  panic,  and  the  fleeing,  fighting, 
frenzied  mob  which  poured  out  from  the  pandemonium 
within,  bowled  the  English  lawyer  over  and  trampled 
upon  him.  When  he  recovered  from  the  excitement 
and  jostling,  the  police  were  in  possession  and  the 
place  deserted  except  by  the  disorganized  employes 
faint-heartedly  endeavoring  to  repair  the  damage. 

The  protection  of  the  box  had  preserved  John  Pow 
ell  and  his  party  from  injury.  The  watchful  Quabba 
had  drawn  Esther  aside  at  the  first  outbreak  of  the 
panic  and  the  riot.  A  slash  in  the  canvas  walls  of 
the  tent  gave  Quabba  and  Esther  egress  to  safety,  and 
Quabba  had  led  his  dazed  young  mistress  away. 

After  John  Powell  had  been  conveyed  by  Durand  and 
the  others  to  their  waiting  motor  car,  the  convalescent, 
through  excitement  and  drugs,  collapsed.  But  he  re 
vived  when  he  reached  his  fine  new  mansion,  and  de 
manded  that  Esther  be  sought  for. 

"I  am  not  crazy!"  he  vehemently  declared.  "I  saw 
Esther  there  and  I  want  you  to  take  me  to  her!" 

"Now  calm  yourself,  Mr.  Powell,"  said  Durand 
soothingly.  "The  excitement  you  have  witnessed  has 
brought  on  another  attack  of  this  recurrent  hallucina 
tion.  A  man  cannot  suffer  concussion  of  the  brain 
and  other  injuries,  as  you  have,  and  hope  to  escape 
serious  mental  as  well  as  physical  reactions.  There, 
there!  We  must  give  you  something  to  quiet  you!" 

And  the  hypocritical  and  unscrupulous  swindler  ad 
ministered  a  liberal  dose  of  the  drug  to  which  he  had 


The  Rose  in  the  Dust  329 

permitted  his  patient  to  become  secretly,  as  he  thought, 
addicted. 

Vivian  added  her  blandishments  to  the  soothing 
hypocrisies  of  Durand,  and  de  Vaux,  the  jackal,  kept 
up  a  murmur  of  feigned  concern  and  sympathy.  Only 
Blair  stood  aloof.  These  ways  were  not  his,  but  Blair 
coveted  the  power  of  the  Powell  millions,  which 
Arthur's  incapacity  had  placed  him  in  the  position  of 
administering,  and  so  he  gave  his  negative  aid  to  the 
despicable  plot  to  ruin  his  benefactor  bodily,  mentally, 
spiritually  and  financially. 

By  the  drug,  and  the  aided  power  of  concerted 
suggestion,  the  conspirators  succeeded  in  impressing 
Arthur  again  that  his  seeing  Esther  had  been  but  an 
illusion  of  his  disordered  mind.  They  further  calmed 
him  by  convincing  him  there  had  been  an  accident  at 
the  circus  that  had  caused  the  excitement,  and  that  the 
triple  tragedies  he  had  witnessed  were  also  figments  of 
his  mania  and  hysteria. 

Guarded  as  John  Powell  was  and  supplied  with  soul- 
and  body-destroying  drugs,  it  was  easy  for  the  cabal 
to  keep  newspapers,  visitors  and  other  sources  of  in 
formation  from  him.  The  servants  had  their  orders, 
and  even  John  Powell's  private  secretary  had  been 
sent  away  by  Blair  to  be  the  manager  of  some  dis 
tant  properties,  so  that  Arthur  might  by  no  chance 
gain  any  information  of  the  presence  of  Esther  in  Los 
Angeles. 

It  was  not  wholly  easy  to  convince  their  victim, 
even  under  these  conditions,  though  he  was  weak-willed 
and  his  physical  strength  only  returned  to  him  in  a 
measure.  But  to  keep  him  from  thinking,  Durand 


330  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

and  the  others  incited  him  to  one  folly  after  another, 
as  his  strength  came  slowly  back. 

Already  they  arranged  for  a  tally-ho  party  to  the 
races  on  the  morrow.  They  feared  to  go  too  far  in 
their  efforts  to  drive  Esther  from  Los  Angeles.  These 
efforts  they  at  present  confined  to  keeping  the  two  sep 
arated,  and  to  augmenting  John  Powell's  fear  of  com 
plete  mental  collapse  under  the  threat  of  the  recur 
rent  hallucinations,  which  they  endeavored  to  convince 
him  his  encounters  with  Esther  were. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  conspirators  knew  Esther's 
high  spirit;  they  hoped  she  would  become  discouraged 
and  perhaps  disgusted  at  Arthur's  eccentric  treatment 
of  her — the  cause  of  which  she  was  not  likely  to  sus 
pect — and  return  to  Richmond  and  Hagar. 

But  Esther  was  resolved  upon  solving  the  strange 
mystery  of  Arthur's  conduct.  At  each  encounter, 
since  they  had  been  parted  in  the  mining  town  of 
Mammoth  just  before  Arthur  was  so  grievously  in 
jured,  he  had  been  delighted  at  the  sight  of  her,  but 
then,  almost  immediately  afterward,  some  strange  in 
fluence  had  overcome  him  and  he  had  regarded  her 
with  a  fear-haunted  expression  lapsing  into  vacuity; 
and  then  fate,  in  the  shape  of  those  who  surrounded 
him,  or  tragic  excitement  such  as  had  occurred  before, 
had  separated  them  again. 

True  as  steel  herself,  Esther's  staunch  heart  would 
not  permit  her  to  believe  Arthur  was  base  or  forget 
ful.  She  felt  the  call  of  Hagar,  recovering  slowly 
amongst  strangers.  But  Esther  determined  to  see  and 
have  an  understanding  first  with  Arthur  before  she 
returned.  Yet  she  did  not  wish  to  intrude  upon  him, 


The  Rose  in  the  Dust  331 

if,  now  that  he  was  rich  and  powerful,  as  "John  Pow 
ell,"  he  did  not  desire  it. 


But  the  diamond?  Sankey,  the  stableman,  had 
fought  his  way  out  of  the  panic  and  melee.  Of  those 
who  had  seen  him  seize  the  jewel  from  the  lion's  paw, 
several  had  been  separated  from  him  in  the  struggle 
and  confusion  and  others  had  been  struck  down  by 
the  circus  men  wielding  stakes  and  bludgeons  and 
shouting  the  circus  men's  battle-cry,  "Hey,  Rube!" 

Hiding  the  diamond  in  the  pocket  of  his  sweater- 
coat,  his  hand  clasped  upon  it,  Sankey  seemed  to  be 
but  one  of  the  many  frightened,  fleeing  spectators 
speeding  from  the  scene  of  tragedy  and  riot.  Pant 
ing,  he  gained  the  street,  swung  himself  aboard  a 
crowded  street-car  and  made  his  way  back  to  the  mean 
neighborhood  where  his  stable  was  situated. 

Here  he  threw  the  nervous  monkey,  Clarence,  tied 
to  the  stall  of  Quabba's  pony,  into  fits,  as  he  rushed 
into  the  place,  clambered  up  the  ladder  and  hid  his 
booty  beneath  some  hay  in  a  corner  of  the  loft. 

Quabba  had  seen  Esther  safely  to  her  hotel  and  had 
returned  to  the  congenial  quarters  where  he  lodged 
—the  stable — uttering  lamentations  in  the  reaction  of 
the  excitement  he  had  been  through. 

At  the  entrance  to  the  stableyard,  he  met  the  po 
liceman  on  post  who  already  had  heard  of  the  riot 
call  that  had  brought  the  reserves  to  the  scene  of 
the  tragedy  and  battle  at  the  circus.  The  policeman 
discussed  the  whole  exciting  affair  with  Quabba.  The 
two  came  down  the  alley  together,  and  Sankey,  the 


332  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

stableman,  peering  panic-stricken  from,  a  crack  in  the 
loft  wall,  saw  them  and  his  guilty  conscience  prompted 
the  harrowing  thought  that  he  had  been  identified  as 
the  thief  who  had  dragged  the  diamond  from  the  claws 
of  the  lion,  and  that  the  search  for  him  was  on. 

Quabba  and  the  policeman  called  him  by  name, 
but  Sankey  did  not  answer;  he  lay  trembling  in  the 
loft  in  an  ague  of  fear.  When  Quabba  and  the  po 
liceman  left  the  stable,  without  looking  up  into  the 
loft,  and  walked  up  the  alley  to  the  street,  Sankey 
dropped  down  the  ladder,  climbed  the  back  fence  and 
hid  in  another  part  of  town,  leaving  the  precious  dia 
mond  beneath  the  hay.  Sankey  reasoned  that  if  he 
were  located  and  searched,  the  diamond  would  not  be 
found  upon  him  and  he  would  take  the  first  oppor 
tunity  of  again  possessing  himself  of  it  and  would  then 
secretly  steal  away  with  it  by  night,  to  parts  unknown. 

Parting  from  the  policeman,  Quabba  returned  to 
the  stable  angrily  muttering  Italian  maledictions  on 
the  absent  and  neglectful  Sankey;  for  Clarence,  the 
monkey,  was  chattering  with  hunger.  The  pony  had 
not  been  watered  and  his  hayrack  was  empty. 

Quabba  attended  to  Clarence,  watered  the  pony  and 
then  clambered  to  the  loft  and  shoved  down  some  hay 
into  the  empty  rack.  He  gave  full  measure  of  hay 
to  the  pony,  but  he  little  imagined  that  in  such  gen 
erous  helping  he  had  shoved  the  priceless  diamond 
down  into  the  rack,  which  fell  and  lay  hidden  at  the 
bottom,  just  over  the  manger. 

That  very  morning  Arthur,  distrusting  himself  and 
suspicious  of  those  around  him,  had  written  a  tele 
gram  to  Blake.  Of  all  those  with  whom  he  dealt. 


The  Rose  in  the  Dust  333 

Arthur  had  the  most  confidence  in  this  astute  and  se 
cretive  confidential  agent  of  his,  in  far-off  Richmond. 
Arthur  also  was  sure  he  could  trust  his  English 
butler,  Parker.  Taking  advantage  of  a  moment  when 
he  was  alone,  he  had  scribbled  his  telegram.  It  read : 

"Answer  at  once.  Is  Esther  Harding  in  Los 
Angeles?  Also  wire  condition  of  Hagar 
Harding." 

He  signed  the  telegram  with  the  name  he  was  known 
by  in  the  West,  "John  Powell."  Then  he  handed  it  to 
Parker,  who  faithfully  promised  he  would  send  it  off 
secretly  and  that  none  should  know.  Parker  kept  his 
word. 

When  Blake  received  this  strange  message  he  was 
somewhat  puzzled,  for  he  knew  Esther  had  been  in  the 
West  for  several  weeks.  He  had  learned  also  of  Ar 
thur's  injuries  and  surmised  that  Esther  was  kept  from 
the  injured  man,  for  he  knew,  too,  that  Blair  and  Vi 
vian  were  also  in  Los  Angeles,  and  he  suspected  them. 

Blake  telegraphed  promptly  in  reply: 

"Answering  your  wire,  Miss  Esther  Harding  Is 
in  Los  Angeles.  Hagar  Harding  continues 
to  improve." 

This  telegram  was  delivered  at  the  offices  of  the  Good 
Hope  Oil  Company.  Blair,  of  course,  in  the  absence 
of  the  injured  Arthur,  received  all  business  and  per 
sonal  communications. 

Blair,  at  the  suggestion  of  Vivian,  who  was  present, 
opened  the  envelope  with  the  utmost  care,  without  even 
tearing  the  gummed  flap.  They  both  were  dumfounded 
for  a  moment,  and  then  Vivian,  pointing  to  the  first 


334  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

line  of  the  message,  whispered :  "There  is  a  purple  rib 
bon  on  the  typewriter  over  there,  and  the  type  seems 
the  same  style  as  that  of  the  machine  on  which  this 
telegram  was  written,  which  is  also  purple.  If  the 
word  'not'  were  added  at  the  end  of  the  first  line,  the 
message  would  be  altered  so  as  to  read:  'Answering 
your  wire,  Miss  Esther  Harding  is  not  in  Los  Angeles. 
Hagar  Harding  continues  to  improve.' ' 

"Vi,  you  are  a  genius!"  cried  Blair. 

They  put  the  telegram  in  the  typewriter,  adjust 
ing  the  message  carefully  on  the  first  line  and  Vivian 
firmly  struck  the  keys — and  the  entire  import  of  the 
message  was  changed. 

Then  Blair  carefully  re-sealed  it  in  its  envelope  and 
sent  it  by  the  office  boy  to  Mr.  Powell. 

"That  will  convince  him  he  is  dippy,  for  sure!" 
said  Blair.  "But  he  must  be  pretty  cunning  at  that, 
to  get  a  telegram  out  to  Blake  without  Durand  or 
de  Vaux  knowing  of  it,  for  they  watch  him  like  hawks." 

"Since  'The  Diamond  from  the  Sky'  turned  up  so 
tragically  at  the  circus,  Durand  has  forgotten  his  pa 
tient,"  said  Vivian.  "I  believe  Durand  might  have 
been  on  the  level,  and  that  he  would  have  become  a 
famous  physician  and  far  richer  at  the  practice  of  his 
profession  than  he  ever  will  become  as  a  crook,  clever 
as  he  is — if  it  were  not  for  one  thing,  diamonds!" 

"He  certainly  is  foolish  about  them,"  remarked 
Blair.  "Here  is  all  this  business — millions  at  stake — 
and  Durand  is  content  that  I  have  full  charge  and  he 
does  not  question  whether  I  will  cheat  or  play  fair 
when  we  divide.  All  he  thinks  of  is  the  diamond ;  he 


The  Rose  in  the  Dust  335 

would  sell  his  soul  for  a  diamond,  especially  for  such  a 
big  diamond  as  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky'!" 

"Who  wouldn't?"  murmured  Vivian.  "I  have  sold 
my  soul,  and  you  have  sold  yours  for  it!  Yet  it  has 
never  rested  in  our  grasp!" 

"But  it  will!"  said  Blair  fervently.  "It  belongs 
to  us,  to  you  and  me.  I  am  a  Stanley,  and  the  rightful 
heir,  and  you  are  my  wife!  As  for  that  smooth 
swindler,  Durand,  and  his  shadow,  the  tricky  de  Vaux, 
the  diamond  never  shall  be  dirty  spoil  for  them!" 

"You  want  to  be  careful,  cunning  and  daring, 
then!"  said  Vivian.  "I  know  Durand  of  old.  He 
goes  through  blood  and  fire  for  a  diamond  of  price. 
It  is  an  obsession  with  him.  He  was  born  so  marked. 
His  mother  was  waiting-maid  to  a  French  banker's 
wife,  and  murdered  her  mistress  for  a  diamond  neck 
lace  a  few  months  before  Durand  was  born.  He  was 
born  in  prison." 

"He  is  likely  to  die  there,"  replied  Blair  grimly.  "He 
had  better  keep  his  hands  off  'The  Diamond  from  the 
Sky'!" 

"And  we  had  better  get  our  hands  on  it,"  said  Viv 
ian.  "What  witchery  is  in  it?  It  comes  and  goes 
like  a  devil's  talisman." 

"It  will  only  rest  and  stay  with  a  true  Stanley," 
muttered  Blair. 

Vivian  regarded  him  strangely,  but  said  nothing. 
If  this  were  true,  why  had  the  diamond  avoided  Blair, 
as  though  it  were  a  living  thing  that  wriggled  from 
his  grasp? 

John  Powell  was  clay  in  the  hands  of  the  conspirators 
again  when  the  doctored  message  from  Blake  reached 


336  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

him.  He  believed  now  that  it  was  true  as  those  around 
him  inferred — his  obsession  that  Esther  was  near  was 
a  symptom  of  recurrent  insanity.  He  shuddered  and 
grew  sick  at  the  thought. 

"Oh,  God,  spare  me  from  madness!"  he  prayed  in 
agony.  "Let  me  recover  in  body  and  mind  to  make 
a  man  of  myself,  to  return  to  Esther  whole  and  sound 
and  clean  and  honorable,  as  I  promised  her  and  my 
poor  mother  that  I  would! 

"Base,  unworthy  profligate  as  I  have  been,  my  gipsy 
mother  sacrificed  her  youth  and  every  happiness  in 
life,  and  she  now  lies  in  a  madhouse,  as  I  lie  mad  in  a 
mansion!" 

And  then  in  his  weakness  and  in  his  strength  he  bat 
tled  with  the  drug  desire  that  clutched  him  by  the 
soul — yes,  he  battled  and  he  lost! 

That  afternoon  the  soft  California  air  of  late  sum 
mer  brought  the  spice  of  fruit  and  flower  across  the 
green  lawns  of  the  shining,  new  Powell  mansion,  where 
dwelt  "The  Golden  Man"  all  envied.  Luck  and  for 
tune  had  been  his,  except  for  an  accident,  from  the 
injuries  of  which,  as  the  newspapers  stated,  his  friends 
were  pleased  to  learn  he  was  recovering. 

As  planned,  John  Powell,  "The  Golden  Man,"  went 
to  the  races  on  his  costly  and  shining  tally-ho.  Four 
thoroughbred  coach  horses,  in  gold-mounted  harness, 
tossed  their  heads  in  pride.  An  English  coachman, 
and  a  guard  blew  "the  yard  of  brass,"  adding  swagger 
to  the  turnout. 

With  the  convalescing  millionaire  went  his  closest 
friends;  his  private  physician,  the  eminent  Doctor 
Frank  Durand;  also  his  cousin,  Mr.  Blair  Stanley,  an 


The  Rose  in  the  Dust  337 

Eastern  capitalist  associated  with  him  and  managing 
his  affairs;  the  Count  de  Vaux,  of  Paris,  and  Miss 
Vivian  Marston  who,  it  was  rumored,  was  a  young  lady 
of  splendid  family  from  New  York,  who  had  taken  up 
nursing  and  was  called  into  the  case  by  Doctor  Du- 
rand,  and  who  had  aided  that  skilled  physician  in  re 
storing  his  wealthy  patient  back  to  health. 

This  and  much  more  the  papers  reported.  And  this 
and  much  more  Esther  read.  These  are  fine  friends, 
she  thought.  Fine  friends,  indeed,  and  he,  the  gipsy 
changeling,  lords  it  well  among  them! 

For  the  first  time  a  sense  of  injustice  and  indigna 
tion  burned  in  Esther's  bosom.  She  will  make  the  test 
and  prove  him  what  he  is.  He  is  the  gipsy,  and  she 
is  the  true  Stanley.  She  will  go  as  the  gipsy  and  con 
front  the  so-called  gentleman,  who  once  again  bears 
a  name  that  is  not  his  own! 

Esther  put  on  her  gipsy  dress  and  took  her  tam 
bourine  and  walked  afoot  beside  Quabba,  the  humble 
mountebank.  The  daughter  of  the  Stanleys,  the  fair 
young  mistress  of  Stanley  Hall,  walked  in  the  dust 
with  a  mountebank  and  a  monkey,  beside  the  mounte 
bank's  pony  and  street  organ! 

She  starts  off  to  meet  a  gentleman  with  his  coach  and 
four.  But  as  she  walked  along,  she  wondered  bit 
terly  if  the  mountebank  was  not  the  gentleman,  and 
the  gentleman  the  mountebank.  For  Arthur  Stanley 
as  John  Powell  has  been  called  "The  Golden  Man" — 
but  the  poor  hunchback  who  trudged  in  the  dust  be 
side  her  has  proved  that  in  honor  and  loyalty  he  has 
a  heart  of  gold! 

Toward  them  came  the  tally-ho.     John  Powell  in 


338  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

high  spirits,  despite  his  recent  injuries,  demanded  to 
drive  the  horses  and,  sitting  beside  Vivian,  he  displaced 
Blair.  Vivian  smiled  at  him  and  handed  him  a  rose 
from  the  bunch  at  her  belt  as  a  guerdon  for  his  horse 
manship. 

And  just  at  that  moment  Esther  stepped  close  by 
the  wheel  horse  and  called  up  to  him:  "Arthur!" 

He  drew  the  horses  to  a  halt.  A  look  of  glad,  wild 
joy  came  to  his  eyes,  which  was  instantly  succeeded  by 
a  glare  of  horror. 

Vivian  lashed  the  off  horse  with  the  whip  which  she 
seized,  the  rose  fell  from  John  Powell's  shaking  hand 
and  the  horses  dashed  away — the  coach  was  gone 
in  a  cloud  of  dust. 

In  the  dust  of  the  road  lay  the  rose. 

Quabba  stooped  and  picked  it  up  and  handed  it  to 
the  broken-hearted  girl  who  leaned  in  her  gipsy  finery 
against  the  pony  cart  weeping. 

The  rose  in  the  dust  to  a  rose  in  the  dust ! 

Luke  Lovell,  returned  for  blackmail  and  revenge, 
ran  to  the  coach  and  clung  to  it  and  shook  his  fist  and 
cursed  the  more  exalted  gipsy  who  was  master  of  a 
coach  and  four. 

But  the  master  of  the  coach  and  four  sank  back 
fainting  among  his  friends.  What  use  is  wealth  to  a 
madman?  He  had  seen  a  flower  by  the  wayside  and 
a  rose  in  the  dust,  and  he  deemed  that  what  he  had 
seen  were  but  the  visions  of  a  mind  diseased! 

That  night  Quabba's  pony  in  his  stall  munched  at 
his  hay  and  knew  naught  of  human  heartaches.  The 
rats  scampered  and  annoyed  him,  and  something  fell 
from  the  hayrack,  but  was  somehow  caught  and  held 


The  Rose  in  the  Dust  339 

fast  and  dangled  at  his  nose.  The  pony  nibbled  at  it, 
but  it  was  not  good  to  eat.  As  a  foolish  thing,  indeed, 
the  pony  regarded  it.  And  yet  it  is  that  baleful  thing 
for  which  bauble-loving  men  and  women  have  bartered 
honor  and  taken  life. 

It  is  "The  Diamond  from  the  Sky"!     Into  whose 
hands  will  it  come  next? 


CHAPTER  XXIII 
THE  DOUBLE  CROSS 

LET  the  coachman  take  the  reins!"  cried  Du- 
rand,  subconsciously  changing  from  his  care 
less  air  of  race-goer  to  the  grave  demeanor 
of  physician.  "Lend  a  hand,  Blair,"  he 
added,  as  the  coachman  worked  around  from  the  back 
seat  by  the  groom  to  the  driver's  place  on  the  tally-ho. 

Blair  and  Vivian,  assisting  as  best  they  could,  aided 
Durand  in  dragging  Arthur  from  the  box  seat  to  the 
second  one.  Here  he  collapsed,  murmuring:  "Esther! 
How  plainly  I  saw  her  in  her  gipsy  dress.  She  spoke  to 
me — the  hunchback  fellow  was  with  her!" 

"It  was  imagination—  "  said  Vivian  soothingly  to 
the  stricken  man,  as  the  pseudo-physician,  Durand,  ad 
ministered  the  all-too-handy  hypodermic.  "A  touch 
of  sun,  wasn't  it,  Doctor?" 

"Yes,"  said  Durand  in  equally  soothing  accents,  "I 
think  it  was  the  sun,  and  too  much  exertion.  We 
shouldn't  have  let  you  drive,  Mr.  Powell ;  you  are  not 
strong  enough  yet." 

Blair  said  nothing.  He  pitied  Arthur  that  in  so 
short  a  time  his  character  had  been  so  weakened  from 
his  hurts  and  the  drugs  administered  that  he  could  be 
convinced  that  the  evidence  of  his  own  eyes  was  but 
the  phantom  of  a  disordered  imagination. 

340 


The  Double  Cross  341 

Neither  the  coachman  nor  the  groom  had  under 
stood  the  significance  of  their  master's  collapse  at  the 
sight  of  two  gipsy  musicians  with  pony  piano  cart  and 
monkey,  by  the  roadside.  The  coachman  and  groom, 
like  the  other  servants  at  the  Powell  mansion,  only 
knew  their  master  had  never  been  mentally  the  same 
since  he  had  been  injured  at  the  mines,  and  since  his 
first  home-coming  to  his  grand  new  mansion,  a  bat 
tered,  shattered,  insensible  form  on  a  stretcher. 

In  a  few  moments  the  effect  of  the  stimulating  drug 
had  calmed  Arthur  and  he  was  sitting  with  closed  eyes 
on  the  second  seat,  with  Blair  and  Vivian  and  Durand. 

A  passing  auto,  coming  in  the  same  direction,  slowed 
beside  the  coach  and  the  occupants  called  to  the  driver 
and  the  tally-ho  party  that  there  was  a  man  on 
behind. 

"He  looks  like  a  tough  customer,  too!"  added  the 
driver  of  the  car. 

The  groom  on  the  rear  seat  looked  down  and  ordered 
the  tough-looking  customer  to  get  off. 

Luke  Lovell  growled  a  curse  back  at  the  groom 
and  held  on.  The  coachman  with  practised  dexterity 
lashed  the  whip  behind  the  coach  at  a  signal  from 
the  groom.  The  thong  cut  Luke  across  the  face  twice 
before  he  could  shield  himself.  Again  and  again 
the  lash  cut  and  stung  him  cruelly  on  neck  and  shoul 
ders  and,  despite  his  hardihood  and  determination  to 
stand  the  onslaught,  he  was  compelled  to  let  go  and 
drop  off. 

It  was  a  quiet  suburban  residence  street.  He  limped 
to  the  sidewalk  and  sat  in  the  shade  of  a  tree  by  the 
curb,  and  near  him  a  leaking  fire-hydrant  trickled.  He 


342  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

mopped  his  brow  and  the  burning  cuts  across  his  face 
with  the  cooling  water.  The  pain  slowly  subsided, 
and  he  looked  about  him. 

There,  far  off  down  the  street,  yet  distinct  to  the 
keen  eyes  of  the  gipsy,  were  a  man  and  a  woman 
plodding  by  a  pony  piano  cart.  He  recognized  who 
they  were  instantly — Esther  and  Quabba. 

Old  emotions,  old  fealties  stirred  in  him  at  the  sight. 
Esther,  daughter  of  Hagar,  Queen  of  the  Gipsies! 
Esther,  whom  he  had  always  gazed  upon  with  pride 
and  a  dull  longing!  Esther  was  not  for  him,  he  knew 
that.  But  yet  there  stirred  in  him  the  old  sense  of 
affection,  and  mingled  with  it  was  a  sense  of  shame. 
Bad  as  the  brute  gipsy  was,  there  always  had  been 
something  fine  and  tender  in  his  regard  for  Esther. 
To  injure  her  had  been  no  part  of  all  his  wild  plans 
to  make  money  out  of  what  he  knew  now  was  the  Stan 
ley  secret — and  Hagar's! 

Luke's  mental  processes  were  slow,  but  he  was  quick 
to  realize  he  had  best  have  time  to  think  of  how  he 
had  better  meet  Esther  again,  if  he  wished  to  regain 
her  confidence — as  he  now  desired  to  do.  He  rose 
from  the  curb,  even  while  cogitating  upon  these  things, 
and  concealed  himself  behind  a  tree.  But  he  could 
have  stood  in  plain  view  upon  the  sidewalk  for  all  he 
would  have  been  seen,  for  Esther  and  Quabba,  their 
heads  bowed  low,  trudged  on  beside  the  patient  pony, 
nor  looked  to  right  or  left. 

Meanwhile  the  smart  tally-ho  had  rattled  on,  and 
ere  long  it  had  arrived  at  the  Powell  mansion  and 
the  master  of  the  mansion  had  been  assisted  off  by  his 
whilom  friends. 


The  Double  Cross  343 

Such  is  the  power  of  suggestion  upon  a  drug- 
weakened  mind  that  John  Powell,  after  entering  his 
luxurious  home,  soon  threw  aside  all  depression  and 
worry.  Physically  his  strength  had  almost  fully  re 
turned,  and  the  plotters  rejoiced  to  see  that  under  the 
stimulant  administered  and  their  cajolements,  the 
panic-stricken  remembrance  of  his  encounter  with 
Esther  had  been  dismissed  by  him  as  an  illusion. 

A  half  hour  later,  Esther  and  Quabba  parted  at  the 
alley  entrance  that  led  to  Sankey's  stables.  Esther 
put  on  her  cloak  again  to  cover  her  gipsy  attire  and 
removed  her  headdress,  and  thus  garbed  looked  like 
a  passing  shop-girl;  nor  did  she  attract  undue  atten 
tion  as  she  slipped  quietly  to  her  room  by  the  entrance 
to  the  hotel  on  the  side  street. 

Quabba  stood  gazing  after  his  young  mistress  wist 
fully  until  she  had  turned  from  the  street  some  short 
distance  away.  He  was  startled  by  a  hand  being 
placed  upon  his  shoulder,  and  turning  he  saw  the 
swarthy  face  of  Luke  Lovell. 


Santley,  the  coarse-grained  tyrant,  lay  dead  in 
the  morgue  downtown.  Beside  him  was  Splinters; 
and  near  them  was  the  disfigured  body  of  La  Belle. 
And  all  because  of  a  woman's  coquetry  and  "The  Dia 
mond  from  the  Sky" ! 

The  new  manager  of  the  circus  was  optimistic.  He 
was  inclined  to  believe  that  the  tragedy  would  be 
"great  press  stuff  for  the  show."  But  unfortunately 
the  triple  tragedy  and  the  panic  and  riot  which  fol 
lowed  it,  aroused  and  brought  the  creditors — who  were 


344  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

numerous — down  upon  the  show,  and  it  was  seized  and 
attached  for  debt.  The  disconsolate  performers  and 
attaches,  their  salaries  long  in  arrear,  realizing  that 
it  was  a  bad  season  for  the  circus  business  and  being 
fully  aware,  too,  that  the  amount  from  a  sheriff's  auc 
tion  would  pay  little  if  any  of  their  salaries,  talked 
between  themselves,  and  Bill  Hull,  the  acrobat,  remem 
bered  the  great  diamond  Santley  gave  La  Belle  before 
the  lion,  Lancelot,  killed  her.  Gossip  as  to  the  value  of 
this  great  gem  had  been  considerable  round  and  about 
the  circus  since  Williams,  the  bill-poster,  had  brought 
it  in  from  the  woods — where  he  had  said  he  found  it. 

"Listen!"  said  Bill  Hull  to  the  other  performers.  "If 
this  diamond  is  recovered,  it  might  sell  for  enough  so 
that  all  salaries  could  be  paid." 

Bill  Hull  also  remembered  that  Sankey,  the  stableman, 
was  one  who  had  snatched  at  the  diamond.  He  knew 
Sankey,  for  in  a  previous  season,  with  a  smaller  show, 
some  of  the  animals  had  been  stabled  at  Sankey's. 

Bill  Hull,  without  further  words,  informed  the 
sheriff,  and  putting  on  an  overcoat  to  hide  his  tights 
— for  the  sheriff's  seizure  had  stopped  the  show — led 
the  way  to  Sankey's  stable.  With  the  sheriff  and  the 
acrobat  went  a  policeman  and  the  manager  of  the 
circus  pro  tern. 

They  reached  the  stable  yard  in  an  auto  just  pre 
vious  to  the  arrival  of  Quabba,  with  his  monkey  and 
pony  and  street-piano  cart  that  he  stabled  there. 
While  Quabba  faced  Luke  Lovell  at  the  alley's  mouth, 
the  sheriff  with  the  acrobat  and  the  two  others  went 
into  the  stable.  Sankey  had  been  in  the  loft  searching 
vainly  for  the  diamond.  As  he  came  down  the  ladder 


The  Double  Cross  345 

he  faced  the  sunlight  from  the  open  door,  and  there 
between  him  and  the  daylight — gleaming  like  a  star — 
dangled  from  the  hayrack  over  the  pony's  empty  stall 
the  very  jewel  for  which  he  had  been  searching! 

Just  as  Sankey  grasped  the  diamond,  the  sheriff  and 
his  party  were  at  the  door  and  caught  him.  Out  from 
the  place  they  struggled ;  the  diamond  glittering  in  the 
sun.  In  wresting  it  from  the  desperate  stableman,  it 
was  passed  almost  against  the  eyes  of  Quabba  and 
Luke  Lovell,  who  had  hurried  upon  the  scene  from  the 
alley  mouth  at  the  first  sounds  of  the  struggle.  How 
well  they  knew  that  dazzling  jewel!  It  had  been  a  for 
tune  for  them  both,  a  fortune  briefly  held  and  quickly 
lost! 

The  next  day  the  newspapers  rang  with  the  account 
of  the  recovery  of  the  diamond,  the  aftermath  of  the 
great  circus  tragedy.  The  value  of  the  diamond  could 
hardly  be  estimated,  the  Los  Angeles  papers  said. 
There  were  conflicting  stories  as  to  how  it  came  into 
the  possession  of  the  dead  circus  proprietor.  This  only 
was  known,  it  would  be  sold  at  the  sheriff's  auction  as 
an  asset  of  the  Santley  Circus,  bankrupt. 

Homer  Graydon,  millionaire,  read  the  story.  Ho 
mer  Graydon  was  old  in  years,  but,  as  he  said,  "young 
at  heart."  Wicked  at  heart  would  have  been  the  truer 
saying.  On  her  arrival  in  Los  Angeles,  Vivian  Marston 
had  attracted  the  attention  of  Homer  Graydon,  who 
considered  himself  a  connoisseur  of  fair  women.  Since 
the  accident  to  John  Powell,  Graydon  had  seen  little 
of  her,  for  it  was  said  that  she  was  an  old  friend  of 
the  injured  man,  and  an  old  friend  of  Blair  Stanley. 


346  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

She  was  also  an  old  friend,  it  appeared,  of  Doctor 
Durand,  Powell's  private  physician. 

"In  fact,  Vi,"  said  Graydon  to  that  fair  charmer, 
"you  seem  to  be  an  old  friend  to  everybody  but  me!" 

Vivian  smiled.  She  had  met  Graydon  in  the  park 
by  telephone  appointment.  Now  that  her  charge  was 
recovered,  Miss  Marston,  who  so  capably  nursed  him, 
had  time  for  her  social  engagements  again.  She  was 
forced  to  be  tactful  in  social  matters,  however,  for 
Blair  was  jealous  and  Durand  was  suspicious.  But 
Graydon  was  too  good  a  friend  to  lose,  according  to 
Miss  Marston's  way  of  thinking,  and  unknown  to  the 
others  concerned,  she  had  driven  to  the  park  and  had 
kept  her  secret  appointment  with  the  old  roue. 

"You  have  been  cruel  and  neglectful  of  me,  Vi," 
continued  Graydon.  "But  here  is  something  in  the 
paper  that  may  interest  you.  You  are  crazy  about 
diamonds  and  I  remember  your  telling  me  of  a  won 
derful  one  that  broke  your  heart  when  it  was  taken 
from  you  by  train  robbers.  It  was  a  wild  story,  and 
I  cannot  say  I  believed  it.  But  there  seems  to  be 
strange  tragedies  about  big  diamonds.  Here,  the  paper 
says,  is  a  wonderful  one  that  caused  a  triple  murder 
the  other  day  at  the  circus." 

Vivian  paled,  as  he  showed  her  the  newspaper  ac 
count.  "Yes,  I  know,"  she  said.  "I  was  there.  It  was 
a  wonderful  diamond,  and,"  she  faltered,  "a  dreadful 
tragedy." 

But  she  did  not  tell  him  the  diamond  was  the  self 
same  gem  she  had  lost.  Homer  Graydon  was  a  mate 
rialist.  He  was  skeptical  of  much  he  saw  and  he 
believed  but  little  of  what  he  heard. 


The  Double  Cross  347 

"He,  he!"  cackled  Graydon.  "The  papers  are  full 
of  wild  yarns  about  the  circus  owner  who  gave  the 
diamond  to  the  lady  lion  tamer,  and  the  clown,  her 
husband,  told  his  friend,  the  lion,  that  the  lady  was 
unfaithful.  The  lion  killed  the  lady,  and  the  husband 
killed  the  giver  of  the  jewel.  Then  the  lion  pawed  the 
diamond  from  the  dead  woman's  neck,  and  a  stableman 
stole  it.  Romantic,  to  say  the  least,  eh,  what?" 

"I  was  there,"  repeated  Vivian.  "I  saw  it  all.  The 
papers  speak  the  truth." 

"Well,  if  you  will  be  a  good  little  girl,  I'll  go  to  the 
auction  and  buy  this  wonderful  diamond  for  you," 
chuckled  the  old  bon  vivant. 

"Will  you?"  asked  Vivian  eagerly. 

"I  will,  if  you  promise  to  give  up  these  'old  friends' 
who  have  recently  monopolized  you.  Old  friends? 
Pooh!  Never  mind  old  friends,  stick  to  good  friends 
—and  you'll  wear  diamonds!" 

"I  will  stick  to  good  friends  who  get  me  the  dia 
mond!"  retorted  Vivian.  "It  is  well  enough  to  criti 
cise  my  'old  friends,'  as  you  call  them,  but  they  have 
promised  me  the  diamond,  too." 

"I'll  get  it  for  you ;  I'll  outbid  them  if  it  costs  every 
cent  I  have!"  cried  Graydon  excitedly. 

Vivian  smiled  at  this  compliment  to  her  charms,  and 
she  thought  of  the  others  who  also  would  bid  for  the 
diamond  for  her  sake.  Let  the  cost  be  what  it  may — 
the  diamond  would  be  hers,  no  matter  who  bought  it! 

Then  Vivian  bade  good-bye  to  Graydon  and  drove 
away.  During  her  absence  from  the  Powell  mansion 
there  were  callers  she  might  have  recognized.  The  first 


348  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

was  Luke  Lovell,  set  and  determined  upon  what  he 
called  "having  a  square  deal." 

Luke  Lovell  had  encountered  Blair  earlier  in  the  day 
and  his  suave  manner  puzzled  Luke,  for  Blair  told 
him  that  he,  Luke,  was  well  within  his  rights  in  de 
manding  a  share  of  the  spoils — John  Powell's  wealth. 

"Call  at  the  house,"  Blair  had  said,  "and  kick  up 
a  row.  You'll  get  yours,  for  I'll  back  you  up." 

And  when  Luke  had  departed  from  the  office,  Blair 
had  called  up  the  police  and  told  them  a  threatening 
fellow  was  hanging  around  the  Powell  mansion  evi 
dently  bent  on  blackmail. 

Another  caller  at  the  Powell  house  was  Marmaduke 
Smythe. 

Flushed  with  wine  and  enlivened  with  drugs, 
Arthur  was  wild  and  boastful.  Smythe  produced  a 
newspaper  and  was  speaking  of  the  circus  tragedy  and 
the  recovery  of  the  great  diamond,  when  suddenly 
Arthur  dashed  down  his  wine  glass  and  stood  erect. 

"It  is  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky'!"  he  cried.  "I 
will  buy  it  at  the  auction.  If  you  are  the  lawyer  of 
the  Earls  of  Stanley,  listen :  I  am  the  Earl !  I  am  not 
John  Powell,  but  Arthur  Stanley,  of  Stanley  Hall!" 

Blair,  Durand  and  de  Vaux,  who  were  all  present, 
started  in  surprise  at  this  announcement.  The  law 
yer's  jaw  dropped,  he  stepped  back  a  pace  and  fell 
backward  over  his  chair. 

Just  at  that  moment  the  servant  announced  that  a 
rough  fellow  was  at  the  door,  who  demanded  to  see 
Mr.  Powell  and  Mr.  Blair  Stanley.  The  party  left  the 
library  and  crossed  to  the  door.  Luke  had  followed 


The  Double  Cross  349 

the  butler  in,  and  Blair  and  Durand,  without  ado, 
seized  the  gipsy  and  thrust  him  out. 

A  policeman  was  waiting  and  Luke,  struggling  and 
protesting,  was  thrown  into  an  automobile  and  taken 
to  the  station  house,  the  others  going  along  as  com 
plaining  witnesses. 

At  the  station  house,  Luke,  strangely  silent  now,  was 
searched.  A  clasp  knife  and  some  silver  corns  were 
all  that  was  found  upon  him,  but  the  policeman  fished 
from  an  obscure  pocket  a  small,  creased,  stained  slip 
of  paper.  It  was  a  broken  Manila  band  such  as  are 
put  around  packages  of  banknotes.  Printed  on  it  were 
the  words: 


WELLS    FARGO    EXPRESS 
$5OO 


Over  the  heads  of  those  closest  to  him  Luke  glanced 
fixedly  at  Arthur,  who  blanched  and  trembled,  for  it 
was  a  paper  band  such  as  had  been  around  the  train- 
robber  treasure  Arthur  had  come  upon  in  the  desert, 
the  funds  upon  which  he  had  founded  the  great  John 
Powell  fortune! 

It  had  been  among  the  banknotes  Arthur  had  given 
to  Luke.  It  had  been  hidden  among  them  and  Luke 
had  held  on  to  it,  when  the  money  was  gone,  as  evi 
dence  against  Arthur,  for  he  had  his  suspicions  as  to 
where  the  monev  had  come  from. 


350  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

"This  looks  like  train-robber  stuff!"  said  the  desk 
sergeant. 

Then  Durand  spoke  up.  "I  remember  this  fellow," 
he  said,  pointing  to  Luke.  "I  met  him  at  a  place 
said  to  be  a  train-robbers'  hangout  at  the  mining  town 
of  Mammoth,  where  Mr.  Powell  here  was  injured  some 
weeks  ago." 

"We'll  hold  him  till  we  find  out,"  said  the  sergeant. 
"Lock  him  up!" 

And  Luke  was  taken  away. 

By  the  aid  of  the  police-station  messenger  Luke  man 
aged  to  have  word  of  his  plight  sent  to  Quabba,  and  he 
asked  that  Esther  be  brought  to  see  him. 

Quabba  telephoned  to  Esther  immediately.  She  had 
just  received  a  telegram  from  the  convalescing  Hagar, 
asking  her  to  return  to  Richmond,  and  in  reply  had 
wired  that  she  would  come,  guardedly  adding  that 
Arthur  seemed  to  be  under  evil  influences  here  and 
that  she  was  discouraged  regarding  him. 

Arriving  at  the  station  house,  Esther  entered  and 
briefly  explained  that  Luke  had  been  a  servant  of  her 
mother  in  Virginia  for  years,  and  that  she  knew  him  to 
be  honest. 

Quabba  waited  outside  for  her.  More  strange  com 
pany,  thought  the  sergeant.  But  Esther  spoke  of  Tom 
Blake,  the  famous  Richmond  detective,  and  the  ser 
geant  absolved  her  from  suspicion,  especially  when  she 
winsomely  smiled  and  admitted  she  was  of  gipsy  blood. 

At  the  cell  bars  Luke  Lovell  seized  Esther's  hand 
and  kissed  it,  while  contrite  tears  rolled  down  his 
bronzed  cheeks.  Briefly  he  explained  what  had  hap 
pened. 


The  Double  Cross  351 

"There  is  but  one  thing  to  do,"  said  Esther.  "Tell 
the  truth.  I  am  tired  of  subterfuge  and  deception.  I 
am  going  back  to  my  mother  in  Richmond.  She  has 
recovered  and  she  needs  me.  I  cannot  shield  Arthur 
at  the  expense  of  wronging  any  one,  much  as  I  have 
loved  him  and  much  as  others  have  loved  him.  If 
he  has  done  evil  things,  he  is  not  worthy  of  further 
sacrifice  and  silence.  I  know  Blair  Stanley  to  be 
wicked,  as  are  all  those  who  live  in  luxury  with  Arthur. 
So  tell  the  truth!" 

"No,  Miss  Esther,"  said  Luke  huskily,  "I  will  keep 
silent.  They  have  double-crossed  me  and  I  will  have 
revenge  in  my  own  way — the  gipsy's  way." 

"There  is  only  one  course  to  follow,  my  poor  Luke," 
said  Esther  gently,  "and  that  is  the  open  and  truthful 
course." 

"Do  not  mix  up  in  this,"  replied  Luke  earnestly. 
"Go  back  to  Hagar  and  ask  her  to  forgive  me  and  for 
get  I  ever  rebelled  against  her.  I  will  attend  to  my 
enemies  and  to  hers.  I  will  not  harm  Arthur  if  I  can 
help  it,  but  on  Blair  Stanley  and  the  others  I  will  have 
my  revenge  for  their  treachery.  Tell  Hagar  that  when 
I  can  get  away  I  shall  return  to  her  and  again  serve 
her  and  you  faithfully,  my  little  mistress!" 

Luke's  determination  and  contrition  were  so  evident 
that  Esther  made  no  further  attempt  to  change  his 
mind.  She  invoked  a  blessing  on  the  rugged  gipsy  and 
left  him,  convinced  that  his  loyalty  to  her  and  Hagar 
was  what  it  had  been  before  money  greed  had  led 
him  to  evil  courses  and  companions. 


352  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

At  the  circus  the  auction  was  on.  John  Powell  and 
his  quondam  friends  were  there.  Also,  gloved  and  as 
though  just  from  a  bandbox,  was  the  old  beau,  Homer 
Graydon.  Vivian  divided  her  smiles  impartially. 

The  tents,  the  animals,  the  circus  equipment  gener 
ally,  brought  a  few  listless  bids  and  went  at  paltry 
sums.  Then  came  the  event  of  the  sale,  the  one  valu 
able  asset,  the  great  diamond. 

"How  much  am  I  offered,  gentlemen?"  cried  the  auc 
tioneer. 

"Ten  thousand  dollars!"  exclaimed  Arthur. 

"Mr.  Powell  bids  ten  thousand!"  cried  the  auction 
eer  gaily.  "What  else  do  I  hear?" 

"Fifteen  thousand!"  shouted  Homer  Graydon. 

There  was  a  buzz  of  excitement  as  Mr.  Powell,  the 
mad  young  millionaire,  doubled  the  bid.  Higher  and 
higher  rose  the  price  proffered  for  "The  Diamond  from 
the  Sky."  The  crowd  gasped  as  the  bids  went  up  and 
up,  as  though  it  were  the  Kohinoor. 

"Going,  going — — "  droned  the  auctioneer.  "The 
last  call — am  I  offered  any  more?  Going,  going — are 
you  all  done?" 


CHAPTER  XXIV 
THE  MAD  MILLIONAIRE 

ARE  you  all  through,  gentlemen?"  reiterated 
the  auctioneer.  "I  am  offered  seventy  thou 
sand  dollars  for  this  magnificent  diamond. 
Its  previous  history  is  unknown,  but  local 
experts  have  pronounced  it  to  be  worth  ten  times  the 
sum  you  offer! 

"Where  did  it  come  from?  That  I  cannot  tell 
you,  but  by  the  decree  of  the  Court  it  is  adjudged  an 
asset  of  the  Santley  Circus,  bankrupt.  As  such  the 
purchaser's  title  will  be  valid. 

"Am  I  offered  any  more?  Seventy  thousand,  seventy 
thousand,  seventy  thousand!" 

Homer  Graydon,  wealthy  spendthrift  as  he  was,  grew 
ashen-faced.  It  would  cramp  him  to  raise  seventy 
thousand  dollars,  but  Vivian  Marston  gave  him  an 
alluring  smile,  and,  as  his  pride  was  also  at  stake,  he 
made  an  effort  to  smile  back  at  her  and  nodded  to 
John  Powell  as  if  to  say:  "Go  higher  if  you  can!" 

The  rival  bidder  laughed  recklessly.  Once  again  he 
felt  all  the  daring  carelessness  of  his  wild  youth  as 
Arthur  Stanley  of  Stanley  Hall. 

"Eighty  thousand!"  he  cried. 

Vivian  was  in  a  flutter  of  unholy  delight  to  realize 
she  was  the  inspiration  of  the  money-mad  rivalry  be- 

353 


354  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

tween  John  Powell  and  Homer  Graydon,  as  they 
eagerly  bid  for  the  bauble  that  had  been  a  talisman 
of  death. 

"Eighty  thousand  I  am  bid  by  Mr.  Powell!"  chanted 
the  auctioneer.  "Come,  come,  Mr.  Graydon,  do  not 
let  superstition  stop  you !  The  lion  would  have  killed 
the  lady  and  the  jealous  husband  would  have  killed 
Sam  Santley  even  had  this  diamond  not  figured  in  the 
case.  All  great  diamonds  have  their  dramatic  history. 
Remember  the  Kohinoor  and  the  Orloff  diamond.  This 
diamond  may  be  a  lucky  stone  for  all  we  know,  despite 
what  has  happened!" 

Arthur  knew  better,  Blair  knew  better  and  so  did 
Vivian  and  the  English  lawyer,  Smythe.  So  did  Du- 
rand,  the  international  diamond  thief  and  swindler. 
And  so  did  his  accomplice  and  jackal,  the  dapper  Count 
de  Vaux.  But  Homer  Graydon  only  knew  that  Vivian 
Marston's  favor  depended  on  the  diamond. 

"Eighty-five  thousand  dollars!"  he  cried,  then  he 
gulped  and  grew  ashen-pale  again.  To  raise  eighty- 
five  thousand  dollars  cash  to  pay  for  this  bauble  to 
give  a  woman  would  be  his  ruin. 

"Ninety  thousand!"  cried  John  Powell. 

Homer  Graydon  gave  the  auctioneer  a  negative  jerk 
of  the  head  in  reply  to  his  inquiring  gaze. 

"Ninety  thousand!  Ninety  thousand!  Are  you  all 
done?  Ninety  thousand,  once!  Ninety  thousand, 
twice!  Ninety  thousand  for  the  last  time!"  He 
paused.  "Going,  going — gone!  Sold  to  Mr.  John  Pow 
ell  for  ninety  thousand  dollars!" 

Arthur  scribbled  a  check  as  the  crowd  buzzed  and 
swayed  around  him.  Vivian  gave  an  hysterical  laugh 


The  Mad  Millionaire  355 

and  clutched  Arthur  by  the  arm  as  the  auctioneer 
handed  him  the  jewel.  Then,  as  the  purchaser  and 
his  little  coterie  of  friends  passed  through  the  dis 
persing  crowd,  Vivian  deliberately  looked  Homer  Gray- 
don  in  the  face  and  turned  her  back  upon  him. 


In  her  room  at  her  modest  hotel,  Esther  debated 
nervously  with  herself.  The  rank  injustice  done  Luke, 
who  had  been  railroaded  to  prison  by  Blair  Stanley  and 
Frank  Durand,  while  Arthur  had  never  interfered, 
made  her  more  bitter  than  she  had  been  at  the  strange 
attitude  Arthur  had  taken  toward  her  since  his  re 
covery  from  his  injuries.  Rumors  that  his  mind  was 
affected  as  a  result  of  his  hurts  were  rife  in  Los 
Angeles,  where  those  who  had  formerly  called  him 
"The  Golden  Man"  now  designated  him  as  John  Pow 
ell,  "the  mad  millionaire." 

For  herself  Esther  would  never  again  intrude  upon 
him,  surrounded  as  he  was  by  sycophants  and  para 
sites  who  worked  him  evil.  But  for  Luke  Lovell,  done 
a  great  injustice,  she  would  make  one  last  appeal  be 
fore  she  returned  to  Richmond  and  Hagar. 

The  remorse  and  contrition  of  Luke,  that  he  had 
been  disloyal  to  her  and  Hagar,  Esther  felt  was  genu 
ine.  She  determined  to  take  the  English  lawyer, 
Smythe,  into  her  confidence,  and  found  occasion  to  send 
him  a  message  by  the  faithful  Quabba. 

Lawyer  Smythe,  who  also  was  preparing  to  leave  Los 
Angeles,  had  shipped  his  precious  deer  head  by  ex 
press,  with  much  misgiving  and  forboding  of  harm  be- 


356  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

falling  it  ere  it  reached  his  dearly  beloved  England, 
where  he  was  shortly  to  follow. 

Like  Esther,  the  eccentric  but  loyal  English  lawyer 
was  becoming  discouraged  and  dismayed  at  the  puz 
zling  conduct  of  the  American  heir  to  the  Stanley 
Earldom. 

Here  was  the  heir,  a  fugitive  from  justice  in  Vir 
ginia,  flourishing  under  the  name  of  "John  Powell,"  a 
thousand  leagues  from  Stanley  Hall,  Virginia. 

"I  confess  it  is  an  enigma  to  me,"  he  explained  to 
Esther.  "Of  course,  Blair  Stanley,  as  the  next  in  suc 
cession,  cannot  become  the  Earl  of  Stanley  so  long  as 
Arthur  Stanley  lives.  That  Arthur  Stanley  lives  under 
another  name  only  adds  to  the  confusion  of  the  whole 
bally  thing!" 

Then  Esther  told  him  about  Luke  and,  because  he 
had  a  kindly  heart  in  his  queer  body,  the  English  law 
yer  accompanied  Esther  to  the  prison  on  the  next  vis 
iting  day. 

They  found  Luke  still  contrite  and  tender  toward 
Esther  and  his  gipsy  sovereign,  Hagar.  He  begged  to 
be  remembered  to  Hagar  and  pleaded  that  she  be  as 
sured  that  once  he  was  out  of  prison  and  had  taken 
his  revenge  he  would  return  to  the  tribe  and  serve 
faithfully  as  headman  again.  But  he  was  obdurate  in 
his  sullen  determination  to  have  his  revenge  in  his 
own  way. 

"Go  back  to  Virginia,  Miss  Esther,"  he  said,  "and 
leave  the  matter  of  my  enemies  to  me.  They  have 
so  much  influence  a  poor  gipsy  could  get  no  justice 
against  them  in  the  courts.  If  I  told  my  story,  it 
wouldn't  be  listened  to.  But  I  can't  be  held  here  for- 


The  Mad  Millionaire  357 

ever,  and  I  will  have  a  better  revenge  in  a  better 
way!" 

And  in  this  frame  of  mind,  mingled  with  his  tender 
attitude  toward  her,  Esther  and  the  English  lawyer 
left  him.  Luke  looked  strange  and  grim  with  his 
cropped  head  and  shaven  face  and  in  his  prison  garb. 
He  was  not  the  rugged,  picturesque  figure  Esther  had 
known  since  childhood.  He  seemed  another  being,  a 
graven-faced,  implacable  personification  of  a  venge 
ance  that  could  wait  to  strike. 

Hardly  had  the  newspaper  sensation  of  John  Pow 
ell's  purchase  of  the  diamond  died  down  than  "the  mad 
millionaire"  broke  into  print  again. 

Now  the  newspapers  announced  that  to  celebrate 
his  recovery  from  his  recent  injuries,  Mr.  John  Pow 
ell  would  give  a  great  fete,  the  first  formal  house- 
warming  of  his  grand  new  mansion.  At  this  fete,  the 
papers  stated,  the  great  diamond  that  had  caused  the 
tragedy  at  the  Santley  Circus  would  figure  in  a  sen 
sational  surprise. 

It  was  Vivian  who  had  suggested  the  fete,  which  was 
to  be  a  costume  affair.  Arthur,  tormented  as  he  was 
with  the  devilish  suggestion  of  insane  delusions,  and 
addicted  to  evil  drugs,  welcomed  any  excitement,  any 
dissipation  to  make  him  forget  the  attacks  of  remorse 
and  shame  and  the  dread  anxiety  of  madness  that  ever 
and  anon  obsessed  him.  Like  many  others  in  the  same 
situation,  he  believed  his  evil  companions  were  his 
good  friends  and  true,  for  ever  they  fed  his  vanities 
and  flattered  and  fawned  upon  him. 

Vivian  lived  in  an  elysium  of  reckless  and  costly  lux 
ury.  There  were  high  revels  nightly  by  the  mad  mil- 


358  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

lionaire  and  his  friends  in  the  gay  resorts  of  Los 
Angeles,  and  now  there  was  to  come  the  crowning  ef 
fort  in  wasteful  and  luxurious  prodigality — the  Powell 
costume  ball. 

Arthur  abandoned  all  business  affairs  to  Blair.  Now 
that  he  had  the  diamond,  Vivian  was  exerting  every 
wile  to  obtain  it.  And  Arthur  had  promised  that  he 
would  present  it  to  her  fittingly  at  the  fete. 

But  there  is  no  honor  among  thieves.  Already  Du- 
rand  was  planning  to  cheat  Blair,  after  Arthur,  as 
John  Powell,  was  ruined.  Durand  broached  this  to 
Vivian,  who  played  her  cards  tactfully  and  seemingly 
encouraged  him.  Her  one  desire  was  "The  Diamond 
from  the  Sky,"  and  that  was  to  be  hers  on  the  night 
of  the  fete.  She  could  hardly  wait  for  it. 

The  night  came  as  all  nights  will.      , 

Esther  had  decided  the  best  way  to  intercede  for 
Luke  would  be  to  intrude  upon  Arthur  at  this  fete,  and 
make  him  promise  to  secure  Luke's  release  from  prison. 

Smythe  accompanied  Esther  in  a  taxicab  to  the  fete. 
He  was  attired  as  a  knight  in  armor,  but  persisted 
in  canying  his  great  English  umbrella.  He  explained 
that  he  did  not  wish  to  become  wet  and  get  rusted 
in  his  armor,  in  case  it  rained.  When  informed  that 
the  rainy  season  in  this  part  of  the  country  was  yet 
some  months  off,  he  had  replied  that  rain  knew  no 
seasons.  He  had  seen  it  rain  in  London  when  even 
the  Times  had  predicted  fair  weather.  So  he  would 
run  no  risk  and  would  take  his  umbrella. 

"I  feel  better  when  I  carry  something,"  he  added. 
"When  I  carried  my  game  trophy,  the  deer  head,  I 
did  not  need  an  umbrella.  In  fact,  it  did  not  rain  while 


The  Mad  Millionaire  359 

I  carried  it,  which  was  remarkable.  So  now  I  shall 
carry  the  umbrella,  especially  as  I  have  shipped  the 
deer  head  to  London — and  I  do  hope  it  will  not  be 
stolen  or  injured  in  transit." 

At  the  Powell  mansion,  entering  with  the  crush  of 
maskers,  Esther  and  Smythe  found  that  the  butler,  ar 
rayed  as  a  gorgeous  major  domo,  was  receiving  the 
guests;  as  the  host  was  to  make  his  entrance  in  some 
novel  and  surprising  manner,  it  was  whispered. 

In  fact,  the  costume  fete  was  a  lavish  Bohemian 
revel.  Wine  flowed,  punch  was  served  on  every  side 
and  the  guests  made  themselves  at  home  and  joined 
in  the  dance  and  revels  as  they  listed.  An  Hungarian 
band  played  in  the  grand  ballroom,  and  a  string  or 
chestra  in  the  conservatory.  Attentive  servants  were 
at  every  hand  giving  every  care  to  the  guests. 

Smythe,  a  humoresque  figure  in  his  helmet  and 
armor  and  with  the  incongruous  crook-handle  umbrella, 
led  Esther  to  the  one  quiet  spot  in  all  the  bedlam  of 
romp  and  revelry.  This  was  a  small  upstairs  recep 
tion  or  tea  room,  plainly  but  richly  furnished  and  with 
a  large  window  which  overlooked  the  lawns  and  flower 
garden. 

A  wide-branched  palm  in  a  handsome  jardiniere 
screened  a  small  divan  or  settee  near  the  centre  of 
the  room.  Beside  it  was  a  small  ornate  table.  A  great 
door  led  to  the  billiard  room  and,  through  the  billiard 
room,  gave  ingress  and  egress  to  this  quiet  spot. 

A  few  couples  strayed  out  and  in,  but  for  the  most 
part  Esther  was  alone  after  Smythe  left  her,  promis 
ing  to  see  to  it  that  the  master  of  the  house  was  ad 
vised  that  a  lady  wished  to  speak  to  him  there. 


360  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

In  the  great  ballroom  the  gay  set  of  Los  Angeles 
were  hilarious  with  wine  and  music.  Blair,  a  handsome 
and  striking  figure  in  the  full  dress  uniform  of  a  Con 
federate  officer,  forgot  his  schemes  and  plans  and  en 
joyed  himself  with  all  the  abandon  of  his  reckless 
nature. 

Durand  arrayed  in  a  conventionalized  costume  as 
the  King  of  Diamonds  looked  like  that  court  card  come 
to  life. 

"I  am  running  true  to  form/'  he  whispered  to  Vivian. 
"  The  pack'  called  me  the  King  of  Diamonds,  and 
here  I  am,  you  see,  costumed  for  the  part!" 

"You  wouldn't  have  dared  to  dress  in  that  character 
abroad,"  laughed  Vivian.  "The  police  of  Europe  look 
too  constantly  for  the  King  of  Diamonds!" 

"You  are  right,  my  dear  girl,"  replied  Durand  care 
lessly.  "But  speaking  of  Europe,  even  the  carnival 
at  Monte  Carlo  was  no  gayer  scene  than  this.  Cer 
tainly  our  friend,  the  whilom  John  Powell,  is  giving 
a  princely  fete.  But  what  is  this  big  surprise  he  is  to 
spring?" 

"I  haven't  the  least  idea,"  confessed  Vivian.  "He 
is  very  secretive  of  late." 

Then  her  brow  knit  in  a  slight  frown,  as  she  remem 
bered  that  Arthur  had  promised  to  give  her  the  dia 
mond  this  night,  but  when  she  had  sent  him  a  note 
by  her  maid  he  had  only  returned  her  word  that  the 
jewel  would  be  given  her  later  in  the  evening.  Where 
was  he,  what  was  his  surprise?  Would  she  be  pre 
sented  with  the  diamond  before  the  envious  eyes  of 
this  revelling  throng?  She  hoped  so.  Such  a  public 


The  Mad  Millionaire  361 

bestowal  appealed  to  Vivian  Marston's  sense  of  the 
sensational. 

"I  thought  you  would  come  as  The  Queen  of 
Hearts/  remarked  Durand,  interrupting  her  train  of 
thought.  "When  we  despoiled  Europe  you  were  known 
in  'the  pack'  as  'The  Queen  of  Hearts/  as  I  was  known 
as  'The  King  of  Diamonds.'  De  Vaux,  too,  is  chary 
of  our  old  pseudonyms.  He  touted  for  our  victims  at 
the  select  and  exclusive  clubs  in  the  various  capitals 
of  Europe — so  he  was  called  The  Knave  of  Clubs.' 
But  he,  too,  seems  to  wish  to  forget.  There  he  is  in 
the  costume  of  a  Zouave,  dancing  with  a  dark-eyed 
Oriental  houri." 

"Let  us  forget  the  past — and  our  pasts!"  said  Vivian 
bitterly.  Then  Durand  exchanged  a  smile  with  a 
charmer  attired  as  a  Neapolitan  flower  girl  and  whirled 
away  in  the  dance  with  her. 

Outside,  Quabba  and  the  gardener  peered  through 
the  windows  at  the  gay  scene,  in  company  with  chauf 
feurs  and  coachmen.  Upstairs,  Esther  waited,  nervous 
and  impatient,  half  regretting  she  had  come.  Then 
she  remembered  Luke  unjustly  in  prison  and  her  reso 
lution  returned. 

In  the  ballroom  below,  Smythe,  her  eccentric  yet 
faithful  knight,  wandered  about  seeking  the  master  of 
the  mansion. 

Suddenly  the  music  stopped.  There  was  a  fanfare 
of  trumpets  and  the  rays  of  a  calcium  light  were  turned 
from  the  gallery  toward  the  great  purple  velvet  curtains 
at  the  end  of  the  ballroom.  These  were  drawn  aside  by 
two  slim  young  girls  in  the  costumes  of  Tudor  pages, 
and  there,  between  the  parted  velvet  curtains,  full  in 


362  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

the  great  pencil  of  light  directed  at  him,  sat  the  figure 
of  a  cavalier  on  a  great  white  horse  with  crimson  trap 
pings. 

Immovable  as  a  statue  stood  rider  and  steed.  Then 
the  band  crashed  a  march  and  through  the  ballroom 
to  the  centre  came  rider  and  horse.  Here  they  paused 
and  the  rider  made  a  sweeping  bow  to  the  hushed  as 
semblage. 

It  was  Arthur  Stanley  of  Stanley  Hall,  Virginia,  but 
known  here,  save  to  a  few,  as  John  Powell,  rightly, 
"the  mad  millionaire!" 

He  took  from  his  neck  a  great  gleaming  diamond  in 
a  curious  locket  and  chain.  He  held  it  in  the  fierce 
light  beating  on  him  and  it  blazed  and  sparkled. 

"Friends,  my  dear  and  welcome  guests!"  he  cried 
in  a  ringing  voice,  "I  will  tell  you  a  strange  story  of 
the  first  finding  of  a  great  gem  such  as  this.  A  gem 
known  as  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky!' ' 

And  there  he  told,  and  with  a  poetic  diction  he  must 
have  practised,  the  story  of  the  adventurer,  Sir  Arthur 
Stanley,  sometime  called  "The  Fallen  Star,"  founder 
of  the  Stanley  family  in  Virginia  and  finder  of  "The 
Diamond  from  the  Sky!" 

While  the  revellers  hung  spellbound  at  the  story, 
he  told  of  how  three  hundred  years  ago  this  reckless 
Sir  Arthur,  younger  son  of  the  first  Earl  of  Stanley  in 
England,  had  been  banished  to  America  to  the  English 
settlements  in  Virginia  and  had  gone  far  up  the  Rappa- 
hannock  River  trails  to  steal  away  an  Indian  Princess. 
He  told  of  Sir  Arthur's  capture  by  the  savage  redmen, 
his  torture  by  stake  and  fire — and  then  the  fall  of  the 
meteor  in  the  night  that  had  saved  his  life  and  denied 


The  Mad  Millionaire  363 

him.  For  the  Indians  had  taken  it  as  a  sign  of  the 
Great  Spirit's  displeasure. 

Then  he  told  of  the  finding  of  the  great  diamond 
in  the  cooled  meteor  and  of  his  ancestor  bearing  it  away 
and  consigning  it  to  his  heirs  to  be  worn  when  a  de 
scendant  of  his  would  be  called  to  the  English  Earldom. 

"It  is  called  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky/  The 
Charm  Against  Harm/  "  concluded  the  speaker  dra 
matically.  "For  none  save  a  true  descendant  of  the 
gentleman  adventurer  who  found  it,  or  the  woman  he 
loves  can  possess  it,  lest  it  bring  disaster  and  death!" 

Then  the  speaker  dismounted  and  a  groom  led  the 
horse  away.  The  crowd  cheered ;  and  the  band  striking 
up  a  lilting  measure,  the  dance  went  on. 

Removing  his  plumed  hat  and  wig,  John  Powell  led 
Vivian  upstairs  to  the  reception  room  that  they  might 
be  alone.  As  they  ascended  the  stairs,  a  great  uproar 
of  laughter  arose  in  the  ballroom.  Marmaduke  Smythe 
had  been  standing  on  a  chair  to  see,  and  to  hear  better 
the  story  of  "The  Diamond  from  the  Sky."  In  mov 
ing  to  get  down  to  convey  Esther's  message  to  the  dis 
mounted  speaker,  Smythe  had  broken  an  electric  light 
wall  bracket  and  as  a  result  his  metal  armor  had  short- 
circuited  a  live  wire.  He  was  rescued  with  a  smoking 
plume,  hardly  the  worse  for  the  electrical  mishap, 
when  Vivian  and  Arthur  entered  the  room  where 
Esther  waited.  They  did  not  see  the  slight  figure 
behind  the  palm.  Vivian  threw  her  arms  around 
Arthur  and  kissed  him  passionately. 

"Give  me  the  diamond,  Arthur  dear,"  she  murmured. 

But  Arthur  drew  back  with  a  startled  cry,  for  there 
looking  full  at  them  with  scornful  gaze  was  Esther! 


364  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

Vivian  realized  the  subterfuge  that  Esther  was  an 
apparition  would  no  longer  avail.  She  shrieked: 
"Choose  between  us!" 

Arthur  thrust  her  from  him  and  through  the  door, 
the  one  entrance  to  the  room,  and  turned  the  bronze 
bolt,  while  Vivian  screamed  and  beat  outside  in  rage 
and  baffled  desire  for  the  diamond. 

But  ere  Arthur  had  thrust  her  from  the  room, 
Vivian's  clawing  grasp  had  ripped  his  velvet  sleeve  and 
lacey  shirt,  and  his  arm  was  bare  to  the  elbow  as  he 
extended  "The  Diamond  from  the  Sky"  to  Esther,  and 
wildly  cried,  he  knew  not  why,  for  her  to  take  it  and  to 
forgive  him. 

But  Esther's  eyes  were  wide  and  wild,  her  gaze  was 
upon  his  naked  arm,  scarred  and  marked  from  the 
needle  thrusts  of  his  drug  addiction.  She  had  read 
of  such  things  in  the  newspapers.  Now  she  knew 

"That  is  the  reason!"  she  gasped  in  horror  and  dis 
gust.  And  with  indignant  fervor  she  snatched  the  dia 
mond  from  his  grasp  and  threw  it  from  her  as  an  evil 
thing. 

Stricken  with  shame  and  remorse,  Arthur  bowed  his 
head  on  the  table  and  sobbed.  He  had  not  seen  or 
cared  where  the  diamond  had  been  flung,  nor  had 
Esther.  It  had  hurtled  through  the  open  window  and 
had  fallen,  only  to  be  caught  in  the  trembling  branch 
of  a  rosebush  far  beneath. 

Vivian's  screams  had  not  disturbed  the  noisy  revel 
lers  in  the  ballroom,  showering  confetti  and  singing 
as  they  danced  and  drinking  the  wine  that  was  prof 
fered  on  every  hand,  but  Durand  and  Blair,  mindful 
of  the  diamond,  had  followed.  They  found  Vivian 


The  Mad  Millionaire  365 

hysterically  sobbing  at  the  door  of  the  little  room, 
and  Blair  burst  it  in. 

That  gallant  though  grotesque  knight,  Marmaduke 
Smythe,  was  close  behind  the  intruders.  A  strange 
tableau  met  their  eyes — the  pale,  indignant  Esther 
and  the  dishevelled  Arthur,  the  latter  hiding  his  face 
and  sobbing  in  his  shame. 

"Where  is  the  diamond?  Where  is  it?"  shrieked 
Vivian,  shaking  Arthur  by  the  shoulder. 

The  grotesque  but  loyal  knight,  Marmaduke  Smythe, 
gave  his  arm  to  Esther  and  they  walked  proudly  out 
in  silence  and  left  the  schemers  and  their  victim. 

Below,  the  gaiety  in  the  ballroom  was  at  its  height. 
Outside  the  dawn  crimsoned  in  the  East — and  a  hand 
reached  to  the  rosebush  beneath  the  window  and  bore 
away  "The  Diamond  from  the  Sky!" 


CHAPTER    XXV 
A  HOUSE  OF  CARDS 

THE  miracle  of  dawn  crimsoned  all  the  East,  the 
last  boisterous  revellers  were  departing  from 
the  fete  of  the  "mad  millionaire." 

Only  the  butler,  as  major  domo,  had  speeded 
the  parting  guests,  who  had  revelled  and  cared  noth 
ing  at  heart  for  host  or  mansion  that  had  entertained 
them  with  a  Belshazzarian  feast. 

And  it  was  a  Belshazzarian  feast  and  the  handwrit 
ing  of  destruction  was  on  the  wall. 

In  the  small  reception  room  upstairs,  the  unhappy 
wretch  who  had  been  called  "The  Golden  Man"  sobbed 
like  the  drug-weakling  he  was. 

Vivian,  her  hair  in  disorder  and  vixen-like  in  her 
anger  and  greed,  shook  him  by  the  shoulder  and  cried 
again  and  again:  "Where  is  the  diamond?" 

Blair,  noting  the  open  window,  left  Durand  and 
Vivian  by  the  side  of  Arthur  and  crossed  over  to  it. 
There,  down  below  was  Angelo,  the  Italian  gardener, 
up  at  dawn  to  his  work,  plucking  "The  Diamond  from 
the  Sky"  from  the  rosebush,  just  where  it  had  fallen 
when  it  had  been  thrown  through  the  window  by  the 
indignant  Esther  when  Arthur  had  proffered  it  to  her. 

"Hi,  there,  you!"  called  Blair.  "Don't  take  that!  I 
am  coming  down  for  it!" 

366 


A  House  of  Cards  367 

The  gardener,  like  the  remainder  of  the  servants, 
bore  a  sullen  dislike  to  the  whilom  friends  who  sur 
rounded  their  master;  he  growled  an  unintelligible 
reply. 

Durand,  who  sensed  that  the  diamond  had  been 
found,  sprang  from  the  room  and  made  for  the  stair 
way  with  Blair  beside  him.  They  ran  from  the  front 
of  the  house  to  the  back.  But  the  gardener,  who  had 
picked  up  a  heavy  stick  which  was  lying  by  the  rose 
bush,  kept  them  off. 

"I  take  to  the  boss!"  he  said.  Nor  would  he  be 
shaken  from  this  resolve.  And  Durand  and  Blair, 
cursing  his  stubbornness,  escorted  him  into  the  house 
and  to  Arthur. 

Vivian,  now  realizing  that  the  diamond  was  re 
covered,  had  ceased  her  vixenish  demands,  and  was 
again  resorting  to  wiles  and  cajolement.  But  Arthur, 
shaken  with  shame  and  wholly  unnerved  that  they  had 
deceived  him  as  regards  Esther's  presence  in  the  city, 
his  shame  augmented  by  the  realization  that  Esther 
knew  how  he  had  fallen  in  his  drug  addiction,  took 
the  diamond  and  staggered  from  the  room,  with  a  few 
muttered  thanks  to  the  gardener. 

Reaching  his  suite,  he  locked  the  diamond  in  a 
cabinet  by  the  great  rear  window  of  his  bedroom  and 
then,  pacing  up  and  down,  fought  the  devil  of  drug 
desire,  for  Esther's  sake — and  lost  again! 

The  English  lawyer,  Smythe,  a  knight  in  armor  in 
all  sooth,  escorted  the  shaken  Esther  to  her  hotel,  hav 
ing  picked  up  the  watching  and  waiting  Quabba  in 
front  of  the  Powell  mansion  and  taken  him  with  them 
in  the  taxicab. 


368  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

"I  will  see  you  safely  back  to  Richmond,"  Smythe 
had  said  gently.  "Your  mother,  you  say,  has  recovered 
and  you  wish  to  return  to  her.  I  am  going  back  to 
England  resolved  to  let  the  American  heir  or  heirs  to 
the  Stanley  Earldom  claim  the  title  when  he  or  they 
may  choose." 

"But  what  shall  I  do  about  Luke  Lovell?"  asked 
Esther.  "All  his  life,  except  for  the  brief  revolt,  he 
served  my  mother  faithfully." 

"I  would  suggest,"  said  Smythe,  "that  our  friend 
Quabba  here  stay  behind  us  and  see  what  he  can  do. 
He  may  secure  Lovell's  release  by  appealing  to  Arthur 
Stanley,  or,  as  he  calls  himself  now,  'John  Powell.' ' 

"I  have  no  faith  in  Arthur  now,"  said  Esther  wearily. 
"He  has  fallen  into  evil  ways  through  evil  associations." 
But  in  her  steadfast  heart  Esther  resolved  to  say  noth 
ing  to  Smythe  now  nor  to  Hagar  later,  regarding  Ar 
thur's  drug  addiction. 

"Well,"  suggested  the  English  lawyer,  "our  friend 
Quabba  can  keep  us  posted,  and  we  may  be  able  to 
take  up  the  matter  of  endeavoring  to  secure  Lovell's 
release  from  this  unjust  incarceration,  after  we  return 
to  Richmond." 

Quabba,  who  might  have  liked  Luke,  except  for  the 
quarrel  between  them  at  Luke's  revolt,  eagerly  agreed 
to  the  plan  though  he  was  loath  to  part  even  tem 
porarily  from  his  young  mistress.  But  he  realized  that 
a  humble  wanderer  such  as  he,  was  no  companion 
for  Esther,  and  he  felt  happy  that  she  would  return 
to  Hagar  looked  after  by  that  kindly  gentleman,  the 
eccentric  lawyer. 

The  next  day  Esther,  accompanied  by  Smythe,  left 


A  House  of  Cards  369 

Los  Angeles  for  Richmond.  Quabba,  to  whom  the 
lawyer  had  given  a  sufficiency  of  money,  stayed  be 
hind.  He  was  an  Italian  gipsy  and  his  new  friend  and 
compatriot,  the  gardener  at  the  Powell  mansion,  was 
at  the  train  with  him  when  he  bade  his  respectful 
adieus  to  his  young  mistress  and  Mr.  Smythe. 

On  the  way  back  from  the  depot,  the  gardener 
thought  that  Quabba  needed  cheering  up,  so  he  led 
him  to  the  garden-restaurant  La  Bella  Napoli.  It  was 
a  humble  place,  an  arbored  resort  frequented  by  Italian 
working  people. 

Signora  Solari  made  them  welcome. 

"She  has  no  good  looks,"  whispered  Quabba's  friend, 
"but  you  should  see  her  daughter  Rosa!  Ah,  Rosa 
is  a  charmer,  and  how  she  will  smile  at  you  if  you  pay 
for  the  better  wine !  You  should  see  her ! " 

It  was  fated  that  Quabba  was  to  see  the  ravishing 
Rosa. 

De  Vaux,  a  lady  killer,  to  his  way  of  thinking,  also 
had  seen  the  ravishing  Rosa.  She  had  smiled  at  de 
Vaux  in  passing  and  he  had  followed  her  to  the  garden 
La  Bella  Napoli.  A  citizen  of  the  world,  the  dapper 
Count  spoke  Italian  charmingly.  He  knew  well  how 
to  ingratiate  himself  into  the  favor  of  the  landlady's 
daughter  and  the  landlady.  De  Vaux  ordered  the  high- 
priced  Chianti  on  which  there  was  a  good  profit. 

From  their  table  in  the  garden,  Quabba  and  the 
Powell  gardener  noted  all  this,  but  kept  their  distance, 
unseen  and  unnoticed  by  the  languishing  de  Vaux. 

Fate  was  playing  into  the  hands  of  Quabba.  Cesare, 
the  contractor,  had  joined  Quabba  and  his  friend  at 


370  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

their  table  in  the  corner.  He  had  a  grievance,  had 
Cesare,  the  contractor.  He  proclaimed  it. 

"Look  you,"  he  said,  "I  get  a  contract,  a  good  con 
tract,  to  fix  a  roof,  and  I  can't  get  any  of  these  lazzaroni 
to  go  on  the  work ! " 

Questioned  why  by  Quabba,  Cesare  shrugged  his 
shoulders  and  said :  "There  are  two  reasons  the  loafers 
give  me.  One  is  that  it  is  a  non-union  job,,  and  the 
other  is  it  is  work  at  the  prison — and  that  they  do  not 
like.  They  fear  the  prison,  maybe  for  good  reasons." 

Quabba  sat  erect.  The  prison !  Luke  Lovell  was  in 
the  prison! 

"Me,  observe  me!  Roofing!  That  is  my  trade!" 
cried  Quabba.  "Angelo  here  will  tell  you!" 

Angelo,  who  knew  nothing  at  all  of  the  matter, 
roundly  swore  that  Quabba  was  the  best  roofer  that 
ever  left  Italy,  and  Quabba  and  the  contractor  shook 
hands  upon  a  compact. 


At  the  Powell  mansion  suspicion,  plot  and  counter 
plot,  were  the  aftermath  of  the  grand  fete.  Arthur 
announced  that  he  would  return  to  his  business  affairs 
and  had  hinted  that  he  was  prepared  to  pay  Durand 
handsomely  for  his  professional  services,  and  would  be 
relieved  if  he  and  his  familiar  de  Vaux  would  go  about 
their  affairs.  He  drew  a  check  for  a  large  sum  and  gave 
it  to  Durand. 

But  Durand  had  no  intention  of  departing  without 
the  great  diamond,  word  of  which  had  drawn  him  to 
this  place.  Durand  had  held  threats  over  Vivian  of 
disclosing  their  former  swindling  and  other  evil  asso- 


A  House  of  Cards  371 

ciations  to  both  Blair  and  Arthur,  did  she  not  aid  him 
and  keep  silent. 

On  her  part  Vivian  promised  Durand,  but  in  her 
heart  she  was  resolved  that  she  alone  would  have  the 
diamond,  and  day  by  day  her  murderous  hatred  of  this 
tyrant  master  of  her  past  grew  and  fattened,  the  while 
he  seemingly  cowed  her  to  his  will. 

John  Powell's  return  to  his  office  was  made  a  happy 
affair  by  his  employes.  His  desk  bore  a  large  horse 
shoe  of  flowers,  and  his  secretary,  on  behalf  of  the  office 
force,  welcomed  him  back  to  health  and  business  in 
an  earnest  little  speech. 

Arthur,  speaking  as  John  Powell,  their  employer, 
thanked  them  feelingly  and  alluded  to  the  loyalty  and 
service  of  his  kinsman  from  Virginia,  Mr.  Blair  Stanley, 
who  had  so  ably  managed  affairs  in  his  absence. 

The  little  audience  applauded  and  the  business  of  the 
day  was  resumed. 

Arthur  was  grateful  to  Blair.  He  had  been  angry 
when  he  realized  he  had  been  deceived  regarding 
Esther  by  all  who  surrounded  him  in  his  great  mansion, 
since  the  day  he  had  been  brought  home  shattered  and 
insensible.  But  Vivian  and  Blair  pleaded,  with  signifi 
cant  hints,  that  they  had  thought  it  best  to  accept 
Durand's  suggestion,  as  Arthur's  physician,  that  his 
patient  be  not  unduly  excited  while  convalescing.  The 
hints  inferred  also  that  this  was  to  shield  Esther  from 
the  knowledge  of  the  drug  weakness  of  which  she  had 
learned,  despite  the  efforts  of  all,  when  she  had  en 
countered  Arthur  face  to  face  at  the  costume  ball. 

Arthur  reluctantly  concluded  Blair  and  Vivian  had 
meant  well,  but  it  began  to  dawn  upon  him  that  Du- 


372  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

rand  was  responsible  for  the  drug  addiction  that  now 
mastered  him. 

"He  had  better  let  me  die,"  Arthur  confessed 
to  Blair.  "I  shall  get  rid  of  him  and  his  creature,  de 
Vaux,  and  you  and  Vivian  will  help  me  cure  myself, 
won't  you,  Blair?  I  want  to  go  back  to  Esther  clean 
and  whole.  I  will  divide  all  I  have  with  you  and 
Vivian  if  you  will  only  help  me ;  say  you  will ! " 

And  Arthur  clung  to  Blair  and  pleaded,  and  Blair 
glibly  promised. 

Handsomely  paid  for  his  services,  good  and  bad, 
Durand  affected  to  accept  his  dismissal  philosophi 
cally.  He  proposed  "One  good  night  of  it"  before  he 
left  with  de  Vaux  for  the  East,  and  the  one  good  night 
took  the  form  of  a  poker  game  in  the  Powell  library. 


In  Richmond  at  the  Riverside  Sanitarium,  Hagar 
had  recovered  almost  entirely.  The  clot  upon  her 
brain,  caused  by  the  cruel  blow  Blair  had  struck  her, 
had  been  absorbed.  Her  memory  came  back  to  her. 
But  the  death,  after  a  stroke  of  paralysis,  of  Blair's 
mother,  and  meditation  during  her  convalescence  had 
brought  Hagar 's  gipsy  nature  to  a  state  of  meek  for 
giveness.  The  sorrows  she  had  undergone,  the  disap 
pointment  Arthur,  her  profligate  son,  had  been  to  her, 
chastened  Hagar's  once  proud  spirit. 

Through  Esther's  letters,  she  knew  that  Arthur  in 
all  his  wealth  and  luxury  had  surrounded  himself 
with  evil  company  and  that  Blair  and  the  adventuress, 
Vivian  Marston,  were  among  his  familiars  and  para 
sites. 


A  House  of  Cards  373 

But  one  thing  she  did  not  know,  and  that  was  that 
Arthur  had  fallen  into  the  clutches  of  the  drug  habit. 

Reunited  at  the  sanitarium,  Hagar  and  Esther  em 
braced,  and  wept  when  they  spoke  of  Arthur. 

"It  is  greed  that  has  changed  him,"  said  Hagar  softly, 
"money  greed;  that  was  his  father's  curse."  And 
Hagar's  mind  reverted  to  that  dreadful  night  of  physi 
cal  and  mental  anguish  when  Arthur  had  been  born 
to  her,  and  his  unnatural  father  had  sold  his  newborn 
child  to  Colonel  Stanley  to  further  the  family  ambi 
tions  and  family  hatreds  of  the  Stanleys. 

"It  was  money  greed  that  led  poor  Luke  Lovell  to 
revolt  and  to  evil  courses,"  continued  Hagar.  "I  am 
happy  to  know  Luke  is  contrite  of  heart  in  all  save 
his  present  desire  for  vengeance  on  Arthur  and  his 
associates." 

"Luke  is  very  bitter  at  them  all,"  replied  Esther. 
"He  asks  your  forgiveness,  mother  dear,  and  longs  to 
return  and  serve  you  faithfully  again.  But  he  will  not 
be  stirred  from  his  determination  to  have  vengeance." 

"  'Vengeance  is  mine,  saith  the  Lord ;  I  will  repay ! ' ' 
said  Hagar  softly,  as  her  hands  subconsciously  closed 
upon  the  Bible  she  was  holding  in  her  lap. 

Marked  and  set  apart  as  the  gipsies  are  by  their  care 
free  mode  of  life,  their  few  vices  are  apparent  and  ex 
aggerated,  their  many  virtues  and  finer  feelings  un 
known  to  the  outer  world.  Inherently  of  a  finer  fibre 
and  of  a  deeper  spiritual  nature,  Hagar  in  her  conva 
lescence  had  turned  her  mind  to  meditation  and  to  the 
reading  of  the  Scriptures. 

"We  will  return  home,  to  your  home,  my  dear  child, 
to  Stanley  Hall,"  whispered  Hagar  when  she  regained 


374  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

her  composure.  "There  we  will  discuss  the  plans  I 
have  meditated  upon  since  my  recovery  and  in  your 
absence.  Perhaps  this  good  friend  will  go  with  us  and 
give  us  the  benefit  of  his  counsel/'  and  she  turned  to 
the  sympathetic  Smythe  who  had  accompanied  Esther 
from  the  West,  and  again  thanked  him  brokenly  for 
his  kindness  to  and  his  protection  of  Esther. 


On  a  prison  roof  in  far  away  Los  Angeles  Quabba, 
burning  his  fingers  with  a  plumber's  furnace,  was  re 
ceiving  a  verbal  castigation  from  Cesare,  the  Italian 
contractor. 

"You  a  fine  bum  roofer!"  the  contractor  was  declar 
ing  scornfully.  "You  no  good  for  a  damn!" 

Quabba  shrugged  his  shoulders  and  replied:  "Ha, 
what  you  tink  you  get  for  a  scab  job,  a  jeweller?" 

"All  right,  to-morrow  I  fire  you  and  hire  the  monkey 
you  have.  He  gotta  da  more  brains!"  And  the  con 
tractor  spat  in  disgust  and  threw  down  the  loop  of 
scaffold  rope  he  was  carrying  and  hobbled  away. 

Quabba  raised  his  voice  in  singsong  protest,  mingling 
Romany  expressions  with  his  jargon  of  Italian  and 
broken  English,  and  he  did  so  with  a  purpose  and  that 
purpose  had  its  effect. 

At  his  cell  window  below  the  eaves  of  the  prison  roof, 
the  ears  of  the  shaved  and  shorn  Luke  Lovell  caught 
the  gipsy  jargon. 

Luke  tapped  three  times  upon  the  bar  at  his  win 
dow.  Quabba  heard  and  understood.  He  tapped  three 
times  in  reply  upon  the  gutter.  Then  taking  a  ball 
of  cord  from  his  pocket  he  tied  a  hacksaw  to  it  and, 


A  House  of  Cards  375 

peering  over  the  roof  to  note  no  watchful  eye  was  ob 
serving,  he  lowered  the  tool  of  liberty  to  the  cell  win 
dow.  It  was  drawn  safely  within.  Quabba  then  whis 
pered  over  the  gutter  edge  in  Romany  that  he  had  a 
rope  end  tied  to  the  cord  and  that  the  other  end  was 
fastened  to  the  chimney. 

Further  directions  as  to  where  Quabba  would  wait 
for  the  prisoner  with  a  change  of  clothing  were  also 
whispered  in  the  gipsy  tongue. 


At  the  Powell  mansion  "the  last  night"  is  being  duly 
celebrated.  De  Vaux  is  not  there,  but  Durand  and 
Blair  and  Vivian  are  with  Arthur  in  the  library  plying 
him  with  liquor  and  encouraging  him  to  wild  and 
foolish  play  at  cards. 

Durand  has  the  money  for  the  generous  check  that 
Arthur  had  given  him.  But  the  arch  crook  is  not  con 
tent  with  this.  Congenitally  he  is  a  diamond  thief, 
and  big  diamonds,  rare  diamonds,  valuable  diamonds, 
are  his  obsession.  Not  to  buy  them,  not  to  keep  them 
— but  to  steal  them! 

In  the  cabinet  in  John  Powell's  room  is  the  mar 
vellous  jewel.  John  Powell,  whom  he  has  snatched 
from  the  jaws  of  death — and  made  a  drug  fiend  of — 
has  given  Durand  his  conge  as  physician  and  associate, 
but  ere  he  goes  upon  his  way  Durand,  the  King  of  Dia 
monds,  as  the  thief  world  knows  him,  intends  to  have 
"The  Diamond  from  the  Sky." 

Outside,  disguised  in  shabby  clothing  and  hiding  in 
the  shrubbery,  is  Durand's  one  faithful  ally,  de  Vaux, 
the  jackal,  "The  Knave  of  Clubs"  of  "the  pack."  Du- 


376  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

rand  has  talked  over  his  plan  with  Vivian,  but  he  does 
not  trust  her. 

He  does  not  fear  Blair,  nor  even  John  Powell,  the 
millionaire,  once  he  has  the  diamond  in  his  hands  and 
is  safely  away.  Durand  has  lived  too  close  to  them  all 
not  to  be  aware  that  there  are  certain  things  in  the 
lives  of  the  two  young  Virginians  that  would  make 
them  avoid  any  too  close  inquiry  into  their  records. 
"Everybody  has  a  past — generally  a  bad  one,"  said  the 
cynic  philosopher,  and  Durand  mentally  repeated  the 
cynic's  philosophy. 

What  John  Powell  had  done  in  the  days  when  he 
was  Arthur  Stanley,  Durand  does  not  know  nor  care. 
Whatever  it  is,  it  is  enough,  that  once  he,  Durand,  has 
the  great  diamond  no  legal  process  to  recover  it  will 
be  dared. 

So  while  the  card  game  for  stakes  without  limit 
was  at  its  height,  Durand  deftly  took  occasion  to  sift 
a  sleeping  powder  into  the  wine-glass  of  John  Powell, 
whose  tongue  was  thick  and  whose  taste  was  deadened 
with  his  indulgence  in  wine. 

The  game  broke  up  at  last,  owing  to  the  sleepy  lan 
guor  of  the  host,  who  was  led  away,  and  the  others  re 
tired  shortly  afterwards. 

Vivian  had  betrayed  Durand  to  Blair.  She  knows 
that  once  Durand  has  the  diamond  it  will  be  taken 
abroad  to  Holland  and  sold  and  dissevered. 

Hidden  in  her  room  after  midnight,  Blair  and  Vivian 
heard  Durand  creep  down  the  hall.  They  gave  him 
tune  to  enter  and  to  work  in  the  room  of  the  drugged 
and  unconscious  master  of  the  house;  then,  on  noise 
less  feet,  the  desperate  Blair  stole  in  upon  "The  King 


A  House  of  Cards  377 

of  Diamonds."  Unseen,  unheard,  Blair  crept  behind 
Durand,  in  the  semi-darkness  of  Arthur's  room,  as  the 
arch -thief  pried  open  the  cabinet. 

Durand  took  the  diamond  and  gloated  over  it  in  the 
gleam  of  a  hand  flashlight,  but  at  that  moment  and 
without  a  word  Blair  dealt  him  a  blow  with  all  his 
strength  with  the  slungshot  he  carried.  The  blow 
glanced  and  Durand,  no  mean  antagonist  even  for  the 
stalwart  Blair,  closed  in  upon  his  assailant.  They 
cursed  and  swayed  and  struggled.  Blair  held  too  closely 
to  Durand  and  consequently  was  not  able  to  give  full 
swing  to  his  deadly  weapon,  but  he  rained  blow  after 
blow  upon  the  diamond  thief  at  close  range. 

The  costly  furnishings  of  the  room  were  overturned 
and  shattered,  and  the  noise  roused  Arthur  from  his 
drugged  slumber.  He  arose  dazed  yet  wide-eyed  from 
his  bed.  Vivian  in  a  tremor  of  anxiety  in  the  doorway 
switched  on  the  lights  full  and  bright.  "Kill  him!" 
she  cried  tigerishly  to  Blair.  "Kill  him,  the  dog!  Kill 
him!" 

Aided  by  the  light,  Blair  seized  Durand  by  the 
throat,  and  with  his  weapon  arm  now  free,  he  brought 
the  slungshot  down  with  sickening  force  upon  the  skull 
of  the  bleeding  crook  and  then  thrust  the  battered 
"King  of  Diamonds"  from  him  with  a  mighty  effort. 

Flung  like  a  sack,  the  arch-thief,  weak  and  stunned, 
fell  against  the  low,  wide  window  and  through  it 
down  the  sheer  height  to  the  lawn  below  and  struck 
full  upon  his  guilty,  shattered  head  and  broke  his 
neck.  But  he  carried  with  him  to  his  death,  clutched 
with  a  grip  Blair  could  not  loosen,  the  Stanley  heir 
loom. 


378  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

As  Durand  lay  broken  and  dead  upon  the  ground,  a 
skulking  figure  crouched  over  him  in  the  shadow.  A 
hand  wrested  the  diamond  from  the  relaxing  grasp  of 
the  dead  swindler.  There  was  a  thudding  of  hurried 
feet  across  the  lawn — and  the  watcher  was  gone,  and 
with  him  went  the  precious  diamond. 


CHAPTER    XXVI 
THE  GARDEN  OF  THE  GODS 

THROWING  back  the  great  bronze  bolt  on  the 
ornate  front  door  of  the  Powell  mansion,  Blair 
Stanley  darted  from  the  vestibule  and  around 
the  house  to  the  back,  closely  followed  by 
Vivian  Marston  and  the  trembling  and  shaking  master 
of  the  mansion. 

There  beneath  the  high  window  lay  the  battered 
body  of  Frank  Durand,  physician,  arch-crook — the  erst 
while  "King  of  Diamonds."  His  neck  was  broken  and 
already  the  congealing  blood  upon  face  and  head 
marked  where  the  cruel  blows  of  Blair's  slungshot  had 
fallen. 

But  the  grasp  of  Durand's  shapely  right  hand  had 
relaxed  and  the  diamond  was  gone. 

Arthur  covered  his  eyes  to  keep  out  the  gruesome 
sight. 

"We  must  think  what  account  is  to  be  given  of 
this!"  whispered  Vivian,  the  quickest  witted  of  the 
trio.  Then  she  spoke  as  though  directly  to  Arthur. 

"Did  you  see  the  struggle?  It  must  have  been  de 
Vaux  who  killed  him." 

Arthur  had  been  too  dazed  from  the  effect  of  the 
sleeping  powder  and  the  drinking  earlier  in  the  night 
to  have  anything  but  a  confused  recollection  of  what 

379 


380  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

had  occurred.  He  was  still  so  shaken  he  hardly  com 
prehended  Vivian's  question. 

Then  Blair  spoke  up.  "I  heard  the  fight  in  your 
room  and  rushed  in,"  he  said.  "De  Vaux  was  beating 
Durand  with  a  slungshot,  I  think.  Yes,  here  it  is!" 
and  he  picked  up  the  ugly  weapon  from  where  it  lay 
beside  the  dead  man. 

"I  found  the  switch  by  the  door  and  turned  the 
lights  on  full,  and  it  was  all  over.  De  Vaux  passed  me 
and  ran  down  the  stairs  and  out!"  chimed  in  Vivian. 
Then  she  sobbed  and  tore  at  her  hair  hanging  down 
her  comely  shoulders.  Her  grief  and  hysteria  were  not 
feigned. 

"  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky.'  The  dirty,  murder 
ous  little  thief  de  Vaux  has  it!  Who  would  have 
thought  that  little  sneak  would  have  the  pluck?"  she 
screamed.  Then  she  turned  on  the  shaking  man  in  her 
fury. 

"Why  didn't  you  give  it  to  me,  as  you  promised?" 
she  shrieked.  And  in  her  futile  rage  and  disappoint 
ment  she  beat  and  tore  at  herself,  till  Blair  grasped 
her  by  the  wrists. 

"Quiet,  you  she-devil!"  he  hissed.  "De  Vaux  will 
not  get  away  with  the  diamond.  People  are  coming. 
Remember  now,  not  a  word  that  we  suspect  Durand! 
We  don't  wish  too  much  probing.  That's  the  curse  of 
it,  there  is  where  de  Vaux  has  us.  Fortunately,  he  may 
suspect  much  about  us,  but  he  knows  little!" 

Inspired  by  this  final  tragedy  of  the  diamond,  the 
newspapers  printed  again  the  stories  of  John  Powell's 
rapid  rise  to  wealth;  the  accident  that  had  shattered 
him  in  a  riot  at  his  mines  in  the  mountains ;  the  skill- 


The  Garden  of  the  Gods  381 

ful  treatment  of  the  stranger  physician,  Durand,  which 
had  brought  the  young  millionaire  back  from  the  gates 
of  death. 

Then  was  repeated  the  account  of  the  triple  tragedy 
of  the  deaths  of  the  woman  lion  tamer;  of  Santley,  the 
circus  proprietor;  and  of  the  clown  husband  of  the 
Lady  of  Lions — all  because  of  the  great  diamond  from 
nowhere.  The  recovery  of  the  diamond  after  it  had 
been  stolen  by  Sankey,  the  stableman,  following  the 
panic  at  the  circus  and  its  sale,  were  all  items  which 
further  spiced  the  sensational  stories  printed  at  Du 
rand 's  death. 

Physically,  Mr.  Powell  was  in  fair  health,  the  papers 
said,  in  reviewing  the  tragic  events  that  centred  around 
the  millionaire  and  the  evil-omened  jewel.  But,  the 
papers  added  significantly,  his  nervous  condition  gave 
great  concern  to  his  friends  and  associates,  and  he  was 
to  be  taken  on  an  auto  tour  to  Colorado. 

Meanwhile,  in  the  gray  of  dawn,  de  Vaux  had  found 
shelter  at  Signora  Solari's  cafe,  rousing  that  good  lady 
and  her  daughter  from  their  slumbers  to  admit  him. 
He  had  ingratiated  himself  previously  into  their  greedy 
graces  by  cash  payments  and  many  promises  of  largesse 
in  the  future. 

The  cunning  de  Vaux,  dwelling  in  hiding  under  the 
name  of  Lancia,  had  paved  the  way  toward  directing 
suspicion  from  his  hiding  place,  and  the  clamor  and 
the  search  for  him  passed  over  and  by  the  cafe  of  La 
Bella  Napoli,  while  he  lay  in  a  mean  room  and  chafed 
at  the  confinement  and  drank  heavily  to  stifle  his 
fears. 

In  far  away  Virginia,  Hagar  and  Esther  journeyed 


382  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

from  Richmond  down  to  Fairfax,  escorted  by  their  new 
but  firm  friend,  the  kindly,  eccentric  Smythe. 

Unlocking  the  great  door  of  Stanley  Hall,  Hagar  led 
the  way  through  the  hall  and  into  the  old  library.  The 
windows  were  unlatched  and  thrown  open,  to  air  the 
long-closed  mansion. 

Smythe  examined  the  portraits  curiously.  "Time  has 
passed,"  he  said  softly,  "since  I  was  in  this  room. 
There  is  Colonel  Stanley's  portrait,  just  as  he  looked 
the  night  I  attested  the  heir  of  Stanley,  over  twenty 
years  ago!"  And  the  good-hearted  lawyer  sighed  and 
thought  of  old  age  that  comes  like  a  thief,  to  rob  us 
of  youth,  of  hope,  of  vigor  and  of  those  we  love. 

To  Hagar  also,  the  place  revived  old  heart  aches. 
There  at  that  door  she  had  stood,  in  her  despairing 
young  motherhood,  to  be  dragged  away  ere  she  could 
cry  in  her  agony  that  she  was  being  robbed  of  her  first 
born.  Then  Hagar  kissed  Esther  and  shook  off  the 
gloom  of  these  sad  memories.  She  was  first  to  break 
the  silence,  as  thoughts  like  these  flitted  through  the 
mind  of  each,  while  old  memories  awoke  and  old  sor 
rows  came  again. 

"Well,"  she  said,  "let  us  try  to  be  cheerful,  though  we 
lose  you,  our  good  friend,  to-day." 

"You  do  not  lose  me,  I  trust,"  said  Marmaduke 
Smythe  with  quaint  gallantry.  "True,  I  must  return 
to  England,  to  attend  to  matters  of  the  estate  of  the 
late  Earl  of  Stanley.  The  matter  of  the  succession  must 
lie  in  abeyance  for  the  present.  But  you  may  come  to 
England  with  the  fair  Miss  Esther  before  long,  or 
I  may  return  to  America  again,  who  knows?" 

"And  now,"  said  Hagar,  "I  understand  that  there  was 


The  Garden  of  the  Gods  383 

some  alarm  manifested  by  the  late  Mrs.  Lamar  Stanley 
regarding  the  expenses  of  my  stay  at  the  sanitarium 
in  Richmond.  I  told  you,"  here  she  turned  to  Esther, 
"that  I  am  a  wealthy  woman.  I  am,  moderately  speak 
ing.  Gipsy-like,  I  would  never  trust  in  banks.  After 
I  leased  Stanley  Hall  I  hid  my  wealth  in  a  secure  place 
in  this  very  room,  an  old  hiding-place  of  which  even 
Colonel  Stanley  knew  nothing." 

Hagar  reached  into  the  chimney  and  brought  from 
a  ledge,  hidden  behind  the  front  of  the  fireplace,  a 
long  chisel.  With  this  she  pried  up  a  strip  of  time- 
worn  wooden  moulding  at  the  end  of  the  hearthstone. 
This  removed,  the  hearthstone  turned  on  a  hidden 
pivot,  one  end  of  the  hearthstone  descending  into  a 
cavity.  From  this  cavity  Hagar  brought  forth  pack 
ages  of  banknotes  from  among  a  number  of  such. 

"All  this  is  yours,  Esther,  my  dear,"  she  said  softly. 
"The  Hardings  had  been  rich  people  as  gipsies  go,  but 
the  profligate  father  of  my  husband  died  in  poverty. 
It  left  my  husband  bitter  and  greedy.  He  remembered 
enviously  the  gipsy  wealth  his  father  had  wasted.  So 
when  Arthur  was  born,  and  a  male  heir,  even  if  a  false 
one,  was  desired  at  Stanley  Hall,  Colonel  Stanley  had 
no  great  trouble  in  getting  my  husband  to  sell  our 
new-born  boy. 

"My  husband  did  not  live  long  to  enjoy  his  gipsy 
fortune.  He  died  and  I  returned,  and  in  revenge — oh, 
forgive  me,  Esther,  my  child — I  stole  you  away,  to 
gether  with  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky/  and  left  my 
son  to  grow  up  the  heir  of  Stanley. 

"The  death  of  your  father  that  night,  Esther,  my 
child,  made  my  wicked  deed  easy  to  accomplish.  The 


384  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

two  old  colored  servants,  who  knew  the  secret,  had 
been  slaves  of  the  cruel  Judge  Lamar,  Blair's  father. 
You  had  been  raised  in  secret  here.  The  servants 
would  not  betray  Colonel  Stanley  while  he  lived,  and 
they  loyally  kept  the  secret  till  they  died. 

"Doctor  Lee,  the  only  other  sharer  of  the  secret  be 
sides  the  two  colored  servants  and  myself,  was  a  kind 
yet  timid  man.  He,  too,  had  hated  Judge  Lamar  and 
had  been  led  into  the  Colonel's  conspiracy  to  cheat  the 
son  of  his  enemy  of  the  Stanley  Earldom,  and  the 
diamond  heirloom. 

"As  the  years  went  on,"  Hagar  continued,  "I  in 
creased  the  money  which  my  husband  had  received 
from  Colonel  Stanley,  by  fortune  telling  and  dealing  in 
horses — the  source  of  all  legitimate  gipsy  wealth.  And 
as  my  profligate  son  wasted  your  heritage  here,  my 
dear  Esther,  and  as  we  would  accept  no  repayment 
from  him  now,  I  give  you  all  this  with  a  loving  heart, 
for  it  is  all  rightfully  yours. 

"I  intend  to  tell  your  relatives  in  Fairfax  and  Rich 
mond  the  truth.  Some  of  them  will  come  to  dwell 
with  you  here  in  Stanley  Hall.  You  will  take  your 
place  in  the  station  of  life  to  which  you  were  born, 
and  I  will  return  to  my  own  people ;  for  I  am  a  gipsy, 
and  as  such  cannot  remain  with  Esther  Stanley,  of 
Stanley  Hall!" 

"No,  no!"  cried  Esther  tearfully,  as  she  threw  her 
arms  around  the  sobbing  Hagar.  "You  are  my  own 
dear  mother!  I  will  never  leave  you  nor  suffer  you 
to  leave  me.  What  have  the  Stanleys  done  for  me, 
what  would  they  do  for  me?  I  ask  this  and  I  answer 
it.  They  have  done  nothing  for  me  but  ignore  me  as 


The  Garden  of  the  Gods  385 

Doctor  Lee's  ward  and  your  daughter.  They  could  do 
nothing  for  me  as  Esther  Stanley  to  give  me  the  hap 
piness  the  feel  of  your  arms  around  me  gives!" 

Lawyer  Smythe  turned  and  coughed  to  keep  back  his 
tears  at  this  affecting  scene.  A  bulky  yellow  time- 
stained,  frayed  and  folded  parchment  had  fallen  from 
among  the  banknotes  Hagar  had  drawn  from  the  cavity 
under  the  hearthstone,  and  he  stooped  awkwardly  and 
picked  it  up  with  a  shaking  hand. 

"This  is  very  curious;  I  am  much  interested  in  old 
parchments,  being  a  lawyer,  you  know,"  said  Smythe 
as  he  fumbled  with  the  parchment.  He  felt  he  was 
stuttering  and  talking  foolishly  at  random;  but  he 
wished  in  his  tactful  way  to  relieve  the  emotional  ten 
sion  that  had  followed  Hagar's  recital.  His  interrup 
tion  had  the  desired  effect.  Hagar  smiled  faintly  and 
said: 

"Oh,  that?  That  is  the  Hardings'  family-tree. 
The  old  gipsy  families,  especially  the  gipsies  of  English 
stock,  such  as  the  Lees,  Hardings,  Lovells,  yes,  the 
Stanleys,  have  these  things.  Strange,  isn't  it?  The 
outside  world  regards  the  Romany  people  only  as  vaga 
bond  wanderers,  but  there  are  Romany  degrees  of 
proud  lineage.  The  Lees  and  Stanleys  here  in  Virginia 
might  be  surprised  to  follow  back  their  family  lines  to 
find  them  lead  to  gipsy  camps  on  English  downs. 
Who  knows,  Esther,  my  dear,  but  what  you  have 
gipsy  blood  in  your  veins  after  all,  even  if  it  be  ever 
so  little!" 

"It  is  a  curious  old  document,"  repeated  Lawyer 
Smythe,  "and,  as  I  said,  I  am  interested  in  such  things. 


386  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

May  I  have  it?  I  will  keep  it  carefully  and  return  it 
in  due  time." 

Hagar  smiled  and  spoke  half-carelessly.  "Keep  it 
as  long  as  you  desire,  Mr.  Smythe,"  she  said.  "It  may 
be  cause  for  bringing  you  back  to  return  it,  or  for  our 
going  to  England  to  get  it." 

They  all  laughed  at  the  suggestion,  and  Marmaduke 
Smythe  took  the  document  and  prepared  to  make  his 
adieus.  His  bachelor  reserve  was  shaken  to  its  very 
foundations  when  Esther  impulsively  threw  her  arms 
around  his  neck  and  kissed  him. 

"You  have  been  a  father  to  me,"  she  cried,  "a  dear, 
dear  daddy!" 

Lawyer  Smythe  was  still  blushing  when  he  drove 
away  to  take  the  train  from  Fairfax,  positively  refus 
ing  to  permit  the  ladies  to  accompany  him  to  the 
station. 


Work  is  for  workingmen.  Quabba  was  a  wandering 
minstrel  and,  even  as  a  non-union  roofer,  loathed  being 
mechanical.  But  he  worked  with  a  purpose  on  the 
prison  roof  even  though  his  purpose  was  not  to  work. 

He  signalled  to  Luke  Lovell  that  all  was  well,  the  last 
day  of  the  job,  and  left  the  coiled  rope  with  one  end 
fastened  around  the  chimney  and  the  lower  end  tied 
to  a  cord,  which  hung  hidden  down  over  the  gutter  of 
the  prison  roof  to  Luke's  cell  window. 

Desperately  had  Luke  sawed  through  the  bars,  and 
the  appointed  night  came  when  Quabba  waited  for 
him  on  a  bridge  that  spanned  a  mean  and  straggling 
street  not  far  from  the  prison.  Quabba  had  a  change 


The  Garden  of  the  Gods  387 

of  clothes  for  Luke's  prison  stripes,  and  to  avoid  suspi 
cion  he  had  with  him  the  pony  and  street  piano  cart 
and  Clarence,  the  monkey. 

The  monkey  and  the  pony,  Quabba's  family,  had 
objected  querulously  to  their  master's  desertion  of  art 
to  degenerate  into  a  toiler.  Bitterly  had  they  com 
plained  when  Quabba  returned  to  the  stable  in  his 
working  garb  at  eve;  and  much  did  the  monkey  chat 
ter  and  the  pony  neigh  pleadings  that  they  take  to 
the  open  road  again,  over  the  hills  and  far  away — work 
and  responsibility  forgotten  and  ignored. 

So  Quabba  waited  at  midnight,  and  Clarence,  the 
monkey,  shivered  and  whimpered  and  the  pony,  too, 
was  restless  to  be  on  his  way. 

"Patience,  my  children!"  whispered  Quabba.  "And 
you,  Clarence,  my  son,  would  you  bite  me?  You  don't 
understand,  my  little  ones.  Patience,  we  wait  for  a 
friend." 

Listening  breathlessly  to  the  sound  of  the  retreating 
steps  of  the  prison  guard,  Luke  pushed  out  the  bars, 
sawed  at  the  lower  end  and  drew  down  the  rope  from 
its  coil  on  the  roof  by  the  cord  and  lowered  it  cautiously. 
He  was  out  and  half  way  down  the  prison  side  when  he 
felt  the  rope  give  ominously.  He  was  near  the  ground 
when  the  sentry  heard  the  fall  of  a  brick  from  the  old 
chimney  and  turned  and  saw  a  prisoner  escaping.  The 
sentry  whistled  urgently  for  the  other  guards  and  fired 
his  rifle  to  alarm  the  prison.  His  eager  comrades  joined 
him  and  they  were  within  reach  of  Luke,  whose  toes 
had  just  touched  the  ground,  when  the  rope  slackened 
and  fell,  and  with  it — with  a  clatter  and  many  heavy 
thuds — the  old  prison  chimney.  It  had  given  way 


388  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

under  the  weight  of  the  escaping  prisoner  and  it  fell 
upon  the  guards  and  overwhelmed  them. 

By  a  fraction  of  an  inch  the  avalanche  of  bricks  just 
missed  the  startled  Luke.  Clambering  upon  the  loose 
pile  of  heavy  debris  that  gave  beneath  his  feet,  he 
scrambled  to  the  top  of  the  wall,  and  by  some  miracle 
passed  over  the  broken  glass  and  spikes  unscathed  and 
dropped  down  the  sheer  twenty  feet  of  the  prison  wall 
to  liberty! 

Quabba  was  waiting.  From  a  bag  on  the  piano  cart 
he  hastily  handed  the  panting  Luke  an  old  coat,  trous 
ers  and  a  hat  that  had  a  wig  within  it.  Then,  as  the 
footsteps  of  other  searching  guards  and  their  cries  were 
heard  nearing,  Quabba  handed  a  stain  compound  to 
Luke  that  darkened  the  gipsy's  prison-pallid  coun 
tenance  and  hands,  and  then  they  moved  on  with  the 
pony  cart  and  the  monkey — two  wandering  organ 
grinders. 

The  pursuit  reached  them  and  paused.  "Did  you  see 
an  escaped  convict  go  by?"  cried  the  warden. 

"Si,  Signore!"  replied  the  crafty  Quabba.  His  com 
panion,  who  is  quite  lame,  it  seems,  for  he  hobbles  a 
little  ahead,  pointed  to  indicate  the  direction  the  fugi 
tive  had  taken,  and  on  hurried  the  man  hunt  again. 

The  garden  of  the  cafe  La  Bella  Napoli  was  deserted 
at  this  hour  of  night,  but  the  Signora  Solari,  proprie 
tress,  answers  a  discreet  clamor  below.  The  Signora 
had  been  playing  cards  with  her  daughter,  Rosa,  and 
the  so  charming  patron  Signer  Lancia,  in  the  latter's 
apartment. 

The  so  charming  Signor  Lancia,  sad  to  say,  had  be 
come  quite  overcome  with  wine.  When  so  overcome 


The  Garden  of  the  Gods  389 

the  so  charming  Signer  Lancia  was  indiscreet.  He  had 
shown  the  ravishing  Rosa  a  wondrous  diamond  whereat 
she  had  cried  out  in  delight,  though  the  again  discreet 
if  intoxicated  Signor  had  caution  to  place  his  fingers 
upon  her  rosy  lips,  the  gesture  asking  silence. 

Signora  Solari  had  not  seen  the  diamond.  It  had 
been  displayed  after  she  had  gone  down  to  the  door 
way  that  looked  into  the  garden.  Quabba  was  there 
and  with  him  was  a  strange  man,  quite  lame  it  would 
seem,  for  he  leaned  upon  a  heavy  stick — a  mattock 
handle. 

"This  is  my  cousin,  Signora,"  said  the  patron 
Quabba.  "He  desires  a  room  until  he  gets  a  job.  Per 
haps  when  he  has  secured  employment,  you  will  still 
honor  him  by  the  hospitality  of  your  establishment?" 

All  this  Quabba  said  in  Calabrian  dialect,  which  the 
Signora  understood  perfectly,  although  she,  as  she  told 
everybody,  was  of  a  noble  Neapolitan  family. 

The  cousin  being  apparently  much  fatigued,  Quabba 
left  him  with  the  Signora  and  journeyed  with  his  pony 
and  organ  cart  and  his  monkey  to  the  stables  that  are 
Quabba's  domicile  as  well  as  theirs. 

The  Signora  led  the  new  guest  to  his  humble  room, 
giving  him  a  lamp  and  wishing  him  sweet  repose,  but  in 
the  Neapolitan  tongue  and  not  in  the  Calabrese  patois', 
for  one  must  remember  who  one  is,  thought  the  Signora. 
She  returned  to  her  daughter  and  the  so  charming 
Signor  Lancia,  of  the  Italian  Secret  Service.  The 
Chianti  flowed,  caution  was  forgotten ;  the  magnificent 
jewel  was  shown  again  to  ravish  the  eyes  of  all. 

In  the  next  room  a  seemingly  lame  man  listened  at 
the  thin  partition,  his  eyes  bulging,  and  he  bit  his 


390  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

tongue  that  he  might  keep  from  crying  out.  For  he 
heard  a  tipsy  voice  say :  "You  may  well  admire  it,  my 
dear  friends!  It  is  called,  and  rightly,  'The  Diamond 
from  the  Sky!'" 


John  Powell  had  returned  from  his  automobile  trip. 
He  had  seen  the  famed  Garden  of  the  Gods  in  Colo 
rado.  But  the  trip  and  the  wild  scenery  had  not  re 
stored  him. 

Back  home  again  in  the  privacy  of  his  apartments 
he  sat  crouched  in  his  chair  and  sorrowed  alone.  Truly 
he  is  a  mad  millionaire.-  In  fever  delirium  he  has  a 
dream.  Before  him  floated,  with  a  sad  smile,  Esther, 
in  Vestal  robes.  He  reached  to  touch  her,  but  she 
floated  away,  yet  looked  back  and  sadly  smiled.  He 
dreamed  he  followed  on  foot  and  in  his  speediest  car— 
a  race  of  madness.  Down  great  mountains,  up  and 
over,  and  then  halting  in  the  wild,  weird  ruggedness 
of  the  great  rocks  of  the  Garden  of  the  Gods!  So  he 
pursued  the  fair  phantom  to  the  abyss  edge  of  a  giddy 
precipice.  He  clutched  for  her  ere  she  fell  and  fell 
himself — down,  down,  and  then,  with  a  dull  shock,  he 
found  himself  awake.  He  had  fallen  over  the  table 
where  he  had  slept,  his  head  upon  his  arms! 

In  far  Virginia,  the  seraph  of  his  dreams  prayed  for 
him  with  all  the  fervor  of  a  constant  heart,  but  over 
him  here  and  regarding  him  with  a  mocking  smile, 
stood  a  woman  whose  face  is  bold  and  sensuous — 
Vivian  Marston!  She  had  heard  the  fall  of  "The 
Golden  Man"  and  had  stolen  in  upon  him. 


The  Garden  of  the  Gods  391 

In  the  cafe  La  Bella  Napoli  the  so  charming  Signor 
Lancia  dazzled  the  eyes  of  his  hostess  and  fluttered  the 
heart  of  her  daughter  with  desire  for  the  wondrous 
diamond. 

And  then  from  the  softly  opened  door  behind  them 
a  heavy  blow  descended.  The  lamp  was  smashed,  the 
room  was  plunged  into  darkness.  Shrieks  sounded  in 
the  darkness,  and  heavy  hurrying  feet  through  the 
corridor.  A  door  was  burst  open  and  tables  and  chairs 
were  heard  thrown  over  in  the  deserted  garden  un 
der  the  arbors  below.  The  Signora  brought  another 
lamp  in  due  time,  but  the  so  charming  Signor  Lancia 
screamed  and  cursed — "The  Diamond  from  the  Sky" 
was  gone! 


CHAPTER    XXVII 
MINE  OWN  PEOPLE 

LUKE  LOVELL,  forgetting  his  recent  hurts  in 
the  jail  delivery,  forgetting  his  limp  which  he 
had  assumed  to  disguise  him  further,  fled  out 
of  the  Italian  boarding  house  and  through  the 
deserted  wine  garden  with  the  diamond  in  his  grasp 
again. 

Even  after  she  had  brought  another  lamp  to  the  so 
charming  Signer  Lancia's  room,  Signora  Solari  was  in 
excitement.  In  fact  she  broke  out  into  loud  cries  of: 
"Assassins!"  "Robbers!"  and  "Police!"  And,  ere  she 
could  be  restrained,  had  rushed  to  the  doorway  over 
looking  her  wine  garden  and  made  the  night  hideous 
with  her  screams. 

Luke  Lovell,  pausing  under  a  light  in  the  empty 
street  some  distance  off  to  reassure  himself  he  still 
had  the  diamond,  heard  her  screams  and  again  hid  the 
baleful  jewel  in  one  of  his  pockets  and  slipped  off 
through  the  shadows. 

In  the  opposite  direction,  two  blocks  away,  two  po 
licemen,  pausing  to  wait  for  their  midnight  relief,  also 
heard  the  Signora's  cries.  But  when  they  reached  the 
Establishment  Solari,  the  Signora  had  been  quieted  by 
the  counsels  of  her  more  composed  daughter.  They 
explained  to  the  policemen  that  there  had  been  a  quar- 

392 


Mine   own  People  393 

rel  between  two  of  the  patrons,  a  quarrel  that  had 
greatly  alarmed  the  Signora  and  her  daughter,  since 
theirs,  as  the  gentlemen  of  the  police  knew,  was  a  most 
respectable  place ! 

They  were  not  regular  patrons  who  had  caused  such 
an  unseemly  disturbance,  the  Signora  further  ex 
plained.  Happily,  as  the  gentlemen  of  the  police  knew 
so  well,  the  Cafe  La  Bella  Napoli  would  not  tolerate 
custom  of  this  kind.  The  disturbers  were  gone,  they 
had  fled  at  the  first  coming  of  the  so  brave  police  when 
she  had  cried  out,  the  Signora  added. 

It  was  midnight  and  their  relief  was  waiting  for 
them,  so  the  two  policemen  were  glad  to  escape  from 
a  morning  in  court  with  trivial  offenders,  and  they 
therefore  accepted  the  explanations  of  the  Signora. 

It  was  fated  that  the  ill-starred  jewel  would  lose  two 
guests  for  the  cafe  La  Bella  Napoli;  for,  roused  to  his 
danger  were  he  caught,  and  being  irked  at  his  confine 
ment  here,  and  feeling  sure  the  evil  repute  of  the  dia 
mond  was  well  founded,  de  Vaux  had  hurriedly  cast 
off  the  clothes  he  had  been  wearing  in  hiding  for  the 
past  several  weeks.  Dressing  himself  in  his  usual  and 
more  pleasing  attire,  the  diamond  thief,  the  last  of  "the 
pack,"  dropped  that  night  from  a  back  window  of 
the  cafe  La  Bella  Napoli  and  made  off  down  a  deserted 
alley.  A  half  hour  later  he  registered  at  a  hotel  that 
pleased  him  better  than  the  establishment  of  the  Sig 
nora  Solari. 

In  his  slumbers  in  the  hayloft,  Quabba  was  aroused 
by  the  presence  of  Luke,  and  in  the  moonlight  thaf 
streamed  through  the  open  window  of  the  loft  Luke 
showed  him  "The  Diamond  from  the  Sky." 


394  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

Quabba  crossed  himself  and  made  the  sign  that 
fends  off  the  Evil  Eye.  He  had  come  to  believe  the 
great  diamond  of  the  Stanleys  was  the  amulet  of  the 
Evil  One,  perhaps  the  Evil  Eye  itself,  who  knows? 

"You  are  to  take  it!"  panted  Luke.  "Take  it  to 
Virginia  to  our  mistress  Hagar  and  our  little  mistress 
Esther.  It  belongs  to  them.  I  do  not  want  it  now,  I 
only  want  revenge.  When  I  have  that,  I,  too,  will 
return  to  Virginia  and  serve  Hagar  faithfully  again. 
Till  then,  you  take  the  diamond  and  be  gone.  You 
have  money  the  English  lawyer  gave  you  for  your 
return  and  the  shipment  of  the  pony  back.  Give  me 
the  price  to  ship  back  the  pony,  and  while  you  are  gone 
I  can  for  a  while  be  a  simple  organ  man  with  his 
monkey,  as  you  were,  and  who  will  think  to  look  for  me 
as  such?" 

"No,  no!"  shuddered  Quabba,  "I  do  not  wish  to  have 
the  evil  diamond!" 

"It  will  not  harm  you,"  said  Luke,  as  superstitious 
as  the  hunchback.  "  'The  Diamond  from  the  Sky'  is 
only  evil  to  those  who  think  or  do  evil.  Your  heart  is 
good;  take  it!" 

But  Quabba  was  loath  to  do  so ;  he  was  not  so  sure, 
poor  fellow,  that  his  heart  was  good.  But  Luke  forced 
the  great  jewel  upon  him. 

Then  Quabba  had  further  objections  to  the  plan 
proposed  by  Luke. 

"It  is  well  what  you  say,"  he  ventured,  "all  except 
Clarence.  We  could  not  be  parted,  could  we,  Clarence, 
my  son?  We  were  parted  once  for  a  short  while  and 
his  little  heart  nearly  broke  by  reason  of  it."  And  the 


Mine   own  People  395 

monkey,  as  if  he  sensed  his  master's  words,  whimpered 
and  clung  to  him. 

"Well,  take  the  monkey  with  you  then/'  said  Luke. 
"It  may  be  all  the  better — for  the  monkey  is  known 
as  your  other  self,  while  as  for  the  pony  and  the  piano 
cart,  what  does  it  matter?  One  pony  cart  and  one 
pony  of  the  sort  is  much  like  another,  but  a  monkey — 
that  is  something  that  people  will  remember!" 

So  at  dawn,  Luke  in  the  guise  of  a  limping  itinerant 
musician  drove  the  pony  and  the  street  piano  cart  out 
from  Los  Angeles  to  a  distant  place,  and  in  time, 
shipped  the  outfit  back  by  express  to  Quabba  at  Fair 
fax,  near  the  gipsy  rendezvous.  Then  Luke  hid  out 
in  the  wilds  as  a  tramp  workman,  known  to  the  con 
fraternity  as  "a  blanket  stiff"  and  worked  at  such  jobs 
as  he  could  get,  biding  his  time  till  the  search  for  him 
as  an  escaped  jail-bird  should  be  ended  and  he  could 
return  to  Los  Angeles  for  his  revenge. 

When  Quabba  took  the  train,  his  being  accompanied 
by  Clarence,  the  monkey,  necessitated  his  travelling  in 
the  smoking  car.  Fate  takes  us  separate  ways  yet 
sometimes  we  travel  closely  with  those  whose  con 
cerns  are  ours,  and  we  never  know.  In  the  Pullman 
journeyed  the  dapper  and  furtive  de  Vaux.  For  the 
most  part  he  kept  his  face  behind  a  newspaper  and 
hoped  to  be  unseen  and  so  he  saw  not.  And  for  sev 
eral  thousand  miles  de  Vaux,  "Knave  of  Clubs,"  for 
merly  accomplice  and  jackal  to  Durand,  the  "King  of 
Diamonds,"  travelled  in  fear  of  the  police  and  the 
vengeance  of  John  Powell  and  the  desperate  Blair 
Stanley — and  all  the  while  the  priceless  diamond — 
for  which  he  and  his  dead  master-accomplice,  Du- 


396  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

rand,  had  risked  so  much — travelled  on  the  same  train 
in  the  rags  of  a  poor  hunchback  with  a  monkey! 

The  months  passed  and  time  sped  on.  To  keep  Ar 
thur  from  thinking,  to  keep  him  engaged  that  they 
might  further  enmesh  and  despoil  him,  Blair  and 
Vivian  led  the  so-caUed  John  Powell  from  one  dissi 
pation  and  wasteful  luxury  to  another.  Arthur's  strong 
constitution  battled  with  his  drug  addiction  and  the 
other  dissipations  more  or  less  successfully;  but  his 
will  had  grown  weak  and  his  better  self  silenced,  all 
of  which  was  beheld  by  his  loyal  man-servant,  Parker, 
the  one  faithful  friend  remaining  by  him,  with  much 
misgiving  and  foreboding. 

At  Stanley  Hall,  Lawyer  Smythe  having  gone  about 
his  affairs  to  England,  Esther  abode  with  Hagar.  Ha- 
gar  had  not  fully  recovered  in  health  from  Blair's  mur 
derous  blow,  though  her  mind  was  again  clear  and  un 
clouded.  She  pleaded  day  by  day  with  Esther  that 
Fairfax  and  all  the  world  might  know  the  truth  at  last. 
Fairfax  shunned  the  two  lone  women  at  Stanley  Hall. 
They  were  regarded  as  strangers  and  interlopers.  Some 
tune  since  Blair's  mother  had  died  after  a  paralytic 
stroke,  and  there  was  no  one  in  that  part  of  Virginia 
who  suspected  the  truth  concerning  Esther.  Yet 
mystery  clung  around  Stanley  Hall  as  some  evil  thing. 
The  murder  of  Doctor  Lee  after  Esther  had  been  his 
ward,  the  flight  of  Arthur  Stanley,  believed  to  be  the 
old  doctor's  murderer,  the  disappearance  of  Blair  Stan 
ley — all  these  things  made  food  for  the  gossips  and 
caused  the  gentry  of  Fairfax  to  keep  aloof. 

Day  by  day  Hagar  realized  more  fully  that  this  was 
a  cruel  injustice  to  the  fair  young  girl  she  so  dearly 


Mine  own  People  397 

loved.  The  constant  thought  of  Esther  ostracized  in 
a  community  where  she  should  have  been  envied  and 
sought  after,  and  with  Arthur — the  son  for  whom  she 
had  sacrificed  and  Esther  had  sacrificed — a  profligate 
and  a  wastrel  under  a  name  not  his  own,  preyed  upon 
the  devoted  Hagar  until  she  at  last  determined  that 
Esther  should  be  spared  further  ignominy. 

As  Esther  steadfastly  had  refused  to  permit  Hagar 
to  avow  to  all  the  world  that  she  was  the  true  heir  of 
Stanley  Hall,  Hagar  determined  to  proclaim  the  truth 
and  flee  to  her  gipsy  people.  Once  Esther's  true  status 
was  known,  Hagar  realized  there  could  be  no  social 
communion  for  the  gipsy  with  the  mistress  of  Stanley 
Hall. 

One  night  Hagar  made  the  venture  she  had  de 
termined  on.  Her  things  were  secretly  packed,  her 
silent  gipsy  help  prepared  her  for  departure  in  the 
night.  Esther  slept,  and  Hagar  crept  silently  by  her 
bedside  to  pray  and  leave  a  note  that  would  tell  Esther 
of  her  resolve. 

But  Esther  stirred  and  woke  and  caught  the  weeping 
Hagar  at  the  door  of  the  old  mansion,  while  yet  her 
carriage  waited.  In  loving  struggle  Esther  bore  Hagar 
back  to  the  library  that  had  seen  the  great  tragedy  of 
both  their  lives. 

"You  shall  not  leave  me!  I  will  die,  I  will  kill  my 
self,  if  you  do!"  cried  Esther,  throwing  herself  into  the 
arms  of  Hagar,  while  the  tears  welling  from  these  two 
loving,  steadfast  hearts  gave  bitter  savor  to  the  part 
ing.  But  Hagar  was  resolved. 

"This  dreadful  lie,  this  living  lie  of  twenty  bitter 
years  and  more,  must  die!"  said  Hagar  resolutely. 


398  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

"Our  ways  lie  apart.  The  wrong  of  years  I  can  undo 
at  the  breaking  of  my  heart,  my  darling  child!" 

"And  at  the  breaking  of  mine!"  sobbed  Esther. 
"What  are  the  Stanleys  to  me,  what  have  they  done 
for  me,  what  will  they  do  for  me?  What  will  they  do 
for  you?  I  would  rather  beg  my  bread  by  your  side 
throughout  the  world,  than  dwell  without  you  here,  or 
anywhere,  with  every  luxury  that  could  be  proffered 
me.  I  swear  you  shall  not  leave  me!" 

But  Hagar  wept  in  silence,  yet  was  resolute. 

"You  are  my  mother,  in  the  place  of  her  who  died 
when  I  was  born!"  continued  Esther.  "A  tender 
mother  through  all  the  happy  years  we  dwelt  together, 
before  ambition  and  desire  in  others  for  things  that  are 
vain  parted  us,  and  brought  the  sorrow  to  our  hearts 
that  now  we  feel!  I  will  not  let  you  go,  or  if  you  go 
I  shall  go  with  you!" 

Again  she  flung  herself  in  the  arms  of  Hagar,  who 
though  her  own  tears  blinded  her  and  her  own  sobs 
choked  her,  endeavored  to  calm  the  shuddering,  heart 
broken  girl. 

In  the  struggle,  the  Bible  fell  from  the  table  beside 
them.  Hagar  picked  it  up  as  it  fell  open  upon  the 
floor. 

"It  shall  be  an  omen  and  a  portent,"  she  whispered 
brokenly.  And  lo,  her  hand  was  upon  the  Book  of 
Ruth,  and  her  finger  at  the  sixteenth  verse  of  the  first 
chapter. 

With  eyes  scarce  seeing,  the  twain  chanted  that  old, 
sweet,  inspired  message  from  one  loyal  woman's  heart 
to  another : 


Mine  own  People  399 

"And  Ruth  said,  Entreat  me  not  to  leave  thee,  nor  to 
return  from  following  after  thee:  For  whither  thou  goest,  I 
will  go;  and  where  thou  lodgest,  I  will  lodge:  Thy  people 
shall  be  my  people,  and  thy  God  my  God!" 

A  deep  hush  fell  upon  them.  Then  Hagar  spoke: 
"It  is  God's  will!"  she  said. 

And  so  that  night  these  two,  never  again  to  be  parted 
in  this  life,  closed  the  great  door  of  the  stately  house 
behind  them,  and  journeyed  on  in  a  deep  silent  happi 
ness  to  where  the  humble  gipsy  people  awaited  them. 

"Strike  camp!"  was  Hagar's  command,  when  the 
wild  and  happy  greetings  of  the  wandering  folk  at  the 
return  of  their  beloved  queen  and  princess  had  calmed. 
She  pointed  westward.  No  further  word  was  said,  but 
day  by  day,  month  after  month,  the  caravan  moved 
ever  westward,  and  Esther  knew  they  journeyed  to  seek 
Arthur  and  to  save  his  soul  and  bring  him  back  from 
the  living  hell  wherein  he  dwelt. 


In  far  Los  Angeles  "the  mad  millionaire,"  John 
Powell,  has  a  new  toy.  It  is  an  aeroplane  of  the  latest, 
most  complete  and  costliest  type.  Drink  and  drug 
crazed  as  he  is,  the  new  toy  fills  the  mad  millionaire 
with  wild  insensate  delight.  Speed!  Speed!  He 
drives  it  like  a  demon,  flying  like  the  lost  soul  he  is  at 
maddening  pace  adown  the  slopes  of  the  wind. 

"It  will  fall  with  him  and  break  his  neck  some  day," 
says  Blair  to  Vivian,  philosophically.  Blair  is  a  true 
prophet,  so  far  as  that  the  machine  will  fall.  He  will 
take  good  heed  that  something  breaks  when  all  is 
ready  with  his  other  plans.  Then  he  can  announce  and 


400  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

prove  that  John  Powell,  the  mad  millionaire,  shat 
tered  to  death  by  his  aeroplane's  fall,  is  Arthur  Stanley, 
fugitive  from  justice  in  Virginia  and  sometime  heir  to 
the  Stanley  Earldom  in  England  and  to  "The  Diamond 
from  the  Sky." 

Arthur  Stanley  dead  and  out  of  the  way,  then  he, 
Blair  Stanley,  possesses  these  honors  as  next  of  kin. 

Blair  keeps  to  Arthur's  business  affairs  while  John 
Powell  keeps  to  his  wild  pleasures.  Already  Blair 
has  diverted  funds  in  secret  that  will  mean  the  wreck 
of  the  Powell  enterprises  at  the  death  of  Powell. 
Blair  only  waits,  as  Vivian  waits,  for  the  reappearance 
of  the  Stanley  heirloom. 

But  where  is  "The  Diamond  from  the  Sky?" 

Hagar  could  tell  and  Esther  and  Quabba,  too.  Bet 
ter  still,  John  Powell  knows,  for  he  has  it  safely  hid 
den.  The  one  cunning  thing  he  does  is  to  keep  this 
secret,  for  it  is  more  than  all  else  the  cause  of  his 
present  desperate,  gloomy  moods  and  evil  courses. 
Quabba  delivered  it  safely  to  Hagar  and  Esther,  in  due 
time.  But  these  two  fell  back  from  it  as  a  thing  ac 
cursed.  They  returned  it  by  express  sealed  and  care 
fully  marked.  With  it  Hagar  transcribed  and  sent  the 
prayer  that  Esther's  dying  mother  had  first  penned  and 
placed  within  the  locket — a  mother's  prayer  that  the 
Stanley  "Charm  Against  Harm"  should  be  doubly  so. 

"Oh,  Child  of  my  heart! 

Not  a  diamond,  but  a  loving  mother's  prayer  is  the  true 
'Charm  against  Harm.' " 

Locked  in  his  library  Arthur  had  read  this  message. 
Unmanned,  and  weakling  as  he  now  was,  he  felt  that 


Mine   own  People  401 

the  diamond  was  sanctified  by  this  prayer  of  a  heart 
broken  mother  of  whom  he  was  unworthy.  Though 
Vivian  had  woven  a  spell  around  him,  he  felt  in  his 
secret  soul  it  would  be  sacrilege  to  place  the  diamond 
about  her  fair  white  throat  after  it  had  been  blessed 
by  a  prayer,  even  though  he  was  lost  too  far  to  heed  it. 

It  was  then  that  the  first  wild  idea  of  self-destruction 
crossed  his  disordered  mind.  He  secured  a  deadly  and 
sudden  poison  and  hid  it  in  the  safe  in  the  library, 
together  with  the  diamond  and  its  wrappings  and  the 
message  from  the  heart  of  his  mother — the  heart  he 
knew  he  had  broken. 

Knowing  as  he  did  that  he  had  wronged  Blair  by 
keeping  him  from  his  birthright,  a  deep  regard  for 
Blair,  wicked  as  he  knew  him  to  be,  had  grown  in 
Arthur's  heart — like  a  weed  where  there  should  have 
been  flowers.  Dimly,  loyally,  he  trusted  Blair,  trusted 
and  loved  him  because  he  knew  he  wronged  him  and 
was  not  man  enough  to  tell  the  truth,  now  that  the 
truth  had  grown  a  living  lie  through  all  the  years. 

Vivian,  such  times  as  she  languished  over  him,  per 
suaded  him  that  Blair  was  but  her  friend  and  their 
mutual  companion.  Blair,  constrained,  submitted  to 
this  scheme,  though  he  little  knew  in  his  jealous  heart 
how  far  the  false  Vivian  carried  it. 

And  ever  westward  the  gipsy  caravan  journeyed 
bearing  the  two  devoted  hearts  that  sought  to  save 
Arthur  from  his  evil  associates.  The  caravan  was 
within  a  score  of  miles  of  Los  Angeles,  when  matters 
came  to  a  tragic  crisis  for  the  mad  millionaire. 

Vivian  and  Blair  were  motoring,  when  John  Pow 
ell's  secretary  came  to  his  employer's  mansion  bearing 


402  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

with  him  the  irrefutable  proofs  of  Blair's  treachery, 
and  showing  beyond  dispute,  by  the  doctored  accounts 
and  cancelled  checks,  how  Blair  by  devious  ways  had 
the  Powell  properties  on  the  point  of  ruin,  and  that 
Blair  had  waxed  rich  in  his  own  name. 

Another  friend  brought  more  ill  tidings,  as  is  the 
wont  of  friends. 

Parker,  John  Powell's  devoted  man-servant,  view 
ing  with  deep  concern  the  machinations  of  both  Blair 
and  Vivian,  had  won  the  confidence  of  Vivian's  spin 
ster  maid.  This  mature  female  had  cast  longing  eyes 
on  the  dignified  and  reserved  Parker.  She  had  hinted 
at  a  secret  she  held  over  her  mistress's  head.  Parker 
affecting  to  succumb  to  the  wiles  of  the  none  too  pre 
possessing  jemme  de  chambre,  had  been  given  the 
secret.  It  was  the  marriage  certificate  of  Vivian  and 
Blair,  dated  at  Richmond  the  year  before. 

This  filled  the  cup  of  bitterness  for  John  Powell, 
sometime  Arthur  Stanley,  of  Stanley  Hall.  False 
friend,  false  woman  and  he  a  weakling,  disowned  and 
dishonored — a  weakling  who  had  betrayed  the  love 
of  sweet  Esther  and  broken  the  heart  of  his  an 
guished  mother. 

He  took  all  these  proofs  of  perfidy,  his  own  and  oth 
ers — his  own  being  "The  Diamond  from  the  Sky"  and 
his  mother's  message — and  laid  them  out  before  him. 
He  was  locked  in  his  library  alone.  The  clock  neared 
twelve.  At  midnight  dramatically  he  will  drain  a  poi 
soned  cup  and  drink  a  toast  to  Death! 

Hagar  and  Esther,  in  Hagar's  van,  had  drawn  ahead 
of  the  gipsy  caravan  to  hasten  on  to  the  end  of  their 
journey.  A  storm  had  broken  upon  them,  and  Quabba, 


Mine   own  People  403 

who  drove  the  van,  guided  the  horses  beneath  the  shel 
ter  of  a  great  live  oak  by  the  wayside.  There  was  a 
blinding  crash ;  a  bolt  of  lightning  had  struck  the  tree 
and  the  van  was  in  flames. 

Twenty  miles  away,  Hagar's  son  raised  his  glass  to 
drain  the  bitter  cup  of  his  life  to  the  dregs  and  drink 
his  toast  to  Death.  The  rain  beat  upon  the  window, 
the  lightning  flashed  and  just  then  the  window  opened 
and  from  the  lawn  the  drenched  figure  of  Luke  Lovell 
stepped  into  the  room. 

"You  gipsy  renegade,  look  at  me!"  cried  Luke.  And 
then  he  bent  low,  his  eyes  glistened  all  the  fiercer, 
and  he  reached  forth  a  coarse  and  brawny  hand  and 
grasped  again,  and  for  the  last  time,  the  great  diamond 
that  was  gleaming  on  the  table  in  the  lamplight ! 


CHAPTER    XXVIII 
ON  THE  WINGS  OF  THE  MORNING 

STRANGE  irony  of  fate!  The  gem  desired,  the 
great  jewel  that  from  a  charm  against  harm 
had  come  to  be  a  curse,  was  grasped  again  by 
Luke  LovelFs  gipsy  hands  that,  strong  as  they 
were,  were  not  to  hold  it! 

John  Powell,  once  Arthur  Stanley,  of  Stanley  Hall, 
and  born  son  of  Hagar  Harding,  sat  collapsed  in  his 
chair;  as  Luke  Lovell  grasped  the  diamond  the  prayer 
of  Hagar  fluttered  to  the  table. 

Luke  growled  and  tore  it  from  Arthur's  unresisting 
grasp,  glanced  at  it  and  tossed  it  back  in  scorn.  What 
it  was  Luke  did  not  comprehend  nor  care. 

"You  live  soft!"  he  sneered.  "Live  soft  in  your  lux 
ury,  while  I  have  wandered  like  a  hunted  wolf  in  the 
wilds.  But  now  I  shall  live  soft  and  you  shall  be  my 
servant  and  my  banker.  First,  you  shall  feed  me!" 

And  Luke,  placing  the  diamond  again  in  his 
pocket,  sat  down  and  bolted  the  food  that  had  been 
brought  the  master  of  the  house  hours  ago,  but  which 
that  soul-shattered  wretch  had  not  the  desire  to  taste. 

As  in  a  daze,  as  in  a  dream  Arthur  sat  relaxed,  with 
out  hope  and  without  fear.  Without  hope  and  without 
fear !  Yes,  he  had  reached  the  end  of  everything.  The 
prayer  of  his  mother  had  come  home  as  a  curse  in  this 

404 


On  the  Wings  of  the  Morning  405 

hour  of  his  shame  and  humiliation.  He  had  been  the 
sorrow  and  sacrifice  of  her  young  motherhood  and  the 
heartbreak  of  her  maturity.  Esther,  whom  he  had 
despoiled  of  birthright  and  patrimony,  her  steadfast 
faith  outraged  at  last,  had  left  him  in  scorn  and  con 
tempt.  Blair,  for  whose  sake  he  had  borne  unde 
servedly  the  brand  of  Cain — Blah*,  too,  had  been  false 
and  faithless  to  every  trust! 

Vivian?  The  scales  had  dropped  from  his  eyes.  She, 
too,  was  false — a  wanton  woman  as  she  always  had 
been. 

Without  fear  and  without  hope!  Crushed,  dazed, 
the  so-called  John  Powell  gazed  at  the  poisoned  glass 
of  brandy  with  which  he  had  stood  to  pledge  a  toast 
to  Death  when  Luke  had  burst  in  upon  him. 

Then  his  eyes  turned  upon  Luke  bolting  his  food 
like  a  ravenous  animal. 

"I  look  strange  to  you,  huh?"  said  Luke,  answering 
the  gaze  and  speaking  with  a  mouthful.  "They  shaved 
me  and  they  clipped  me  in  the  pen,  where  you  and  Blair 
Stanley  sent  me.  The  express  slip  was  all  the  proof 
that  was  needed  against  the  poor  ignorant  gipsy. 
They  shut  me  up  like  a  rat  in  a  trap  from  the  light 
and  air  in  a  rotten  prison  for  stealing  the  money  that 
you  stole,  the  money  from  the  train  robbery. 

"Oh,  I  went  back  over  all  our  tracks,  and  I  found 
the  dead  horse  and  I  found  the  empty  cache.  There 
were  clues  plain  enough,  when  I  got  out  of  prison  and 
went  back. 

"That  stolen  money  you  found  in  the  desert  was  the 
start  of  your  fortune,  'Mr.  John  Powell.'  The  money 
was  repaid  by  you  secretly,  but  when  they  caught  one 


406  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

of  the  poor  robbers,  as  they  thought,  they  sent  me  to 
the  pen. 

"I  don't  look  like  I  used  to,  do  I?  That's  prison 
pallor  that  even  the  sun  of  the  desert  couldn't  wholly 
take  away.  I'm  thinner,  too,  but  I'll  fatten  on  you. 
I'll  spare  your  life,  for  you  are  Hagar's  son;  but  if  I 
go  to  prison  again  you  will  go  with  me,  for  I  have 
the  proofs  you  found  and  used  the  stolen  money,  and 
the  world  shall  know  you  left  Virginia  as  Arthur  Stan 
ley,  accused  of  murder! 

"Where  is  your  so-called  cousin,  your  pal  and  fellow 
crook,  Blair  Stanley?  Out  with  the  fair  lady,  I  sup 
pose?  He  shall  feed  and  clothe  me  and  be  my  banker, 
too.  Durand,  who  helped  you  two  to  railroad  me  to 
prison,  is  dead,  I  hear.  All  fine  gentlemen,  eh,  the 
whole  of  you?  Well,  I  shall  be  a  gentleman,  too,  a 
regular  Romany  Rye.  You  know  what  that  means — it 
means  a  gipsy  gentleman!  And  now  that  I  have  fed, 
come  and  clothe  me.  Your  flunkies  are  asleep,  so  you 
shall  be  my  flunkey!  One  Romany  Rye  as  valet  to 
another!" 

And  Luke  rose  from  where  he  had  gorged,  and  Arthur 
followed  him  without  a  word  to  his  suite  of  rooms  and 
wardrobe  upstairs. 


The  storm  had  passed,  a  few  heavy  raindrops  fell 
from  the  leaves  of  the  live  oak  and  hissed  as  they  died 
on  the  embers  of  the  smoking  ruins  of  Hagar's  van. 
Upon  the  ground  Esther  knelt,  holding  the  head  of  the 
weakened  Hagar;  for  Hagar  was  slowly  dying. 

Since  their  journey  westward  she  had  failed  and 


On  the  Wings  of  the  Morning  407 

faded,  slowly  but  surely.  Nothing  but  her  deep  love 
for  Esther  and  her  strong  faith  that  she  could  reach 
her  son  in  time  and  save  him,  had  held  Hagar  to  life. 
A  harvest  of  heartaches  through  the  years,  sorrow 
and  sacrifice  had  sapped  her  spirit  and  her  physical 
strength.  Only  a  sweet,  complacent  faith  had  sustained 
her. 

But  now  the  shock  of  the  lightning  stroke,  the  burn 
ing  of  the  van  and  the  exposure  to  the  storm  had 
hastened  her  passing.  Esther  saw  death  was  not  far 
away  from  Hagar. 

Resolute  in  this  great  sorrow  and  calamity,  Esther 
whispered  to  the  ever  helpful  and  loyal  Quabba  to 
mount  one  of  the  van  horses  and  hurry  back  to  the 
slower  moving  cavalcade  of  gipsies  and  bid  them 
hasten.  This  Quabba  did. 

The  caravan  was  not  far  behind  them,  for  nearing 
Los  Angeles  Hagar  had  given  orders  to  move  through 
the  night  that  they  might  camp  the  next  day  on  the 
outskirts  of  the  city  that  was  their  journey's  end. 
Hearing  Quabba's  cries,  the  gipsies  lashed  their  tired 
horses  and  soon  Hagar  was  in  the  loving  care  of  the 
women  of  her  tribe,  with  Esther  beside  her  holding 
her  hand  and  comforting  the  dying  woman. 

On  the  outskirts  of  the  town,  driven  from  their  open 
roadster  to  the  shelter  of  a  roadhouse  by  the  rain, 
Blair  and  Vivian  drank  and  dined,  little  knowing  that 
a  score  of  miles  away  Hagar  and  Esther,  hand  in  hand, 
waited  for  the  end  of  time  and  the  beginning  of  eter 
nity  for  the  elder  of  the  twain,  and  nearer  yet,  Hagar's 
son  waited  to  drink  his  toast  to  Death. 

Up  the  steps  of  the  roadhouse  piazza,  scattering  the 


408  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

last  raindrops  from  their  apparel,  came  one  Dick  Jones, 
and  with  him  was  the  lady  he  addressed  as  "Gert." 

It  was  not  the  first  roadhouse  at  which  these  late 
arrived  joy  riders  had  stopped.  Mr.  Jones  was  thick 
of  speech,  flushed  of  face  and  unsteady  of  gait.  The 
lady  he  called  Gert  was  more  seasoned.  She  was  voic 
ing  the  remark  that  she  was  as  dry  as  a  fish  and  hungry 
as  a  wolf. 

At  the  sight  of  Blair  Stanley,  Mr.  Jones  was  some 
what  abashed.  But  some  recollection  came  to  him 
that  steadied  him  and  he  greeted  Blair  with  an  assumed 
indifference.  Blair  gave  the  newcomers  a  surly,  super 
cilious  stare. 

"Who  are  they?"  asked  Vivian. 

"I  don't  know  the  blonde,"  replied  Blair  carelessly, 
"but  the  boozy  gentleman  is  Dick  Jones,  who  was  our 
shipping  clerk  at  the  Good  Hope  Oil  Company  offices — 
until  I  fired  him  for  coming  to  work  after  being  out 
the  night  before,  as  you  see  him  now." 

"You  didn't  fire  yourself  for  that  offense,  or  'John 
Powell/  the  boss,  I  assume?"  remarked  Vivian  sar 
castically. 

"No  matter  what  I  do  the  night  before,  my  head  is 
clear  and  my  hands  steady  the  next  day,"  Blair  an 
swered  ;  "as  for  'John  Powell' — my  boss,  as  you  call  him 
— since  he  has  taken  to  dope  and  flying  machines  we 
do  not  see  him  at  the  office.  And  that  reminds  me,  I 
am  sick  of  this  whole  business.  I  have  enough 
money  in  my  own  name.  I  am  tired  of  hanging  on  like 
a  parasite  to  the  poor  boob  till  he  dopes  himself  to 
death.  When  do  we  make  a  getaway?" 

"When  we  get  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky/  "  replied 


On  the  Wings  of  the  Morning  409 

Vivian.  "I  have  set  my  heart  and  soul  on  having  it.  It 
7nust  turn  up  again." 

Nothing  ever  happens  and  everything  happens. 
While  Blair  drank  in  gloomy  silence  and  made  no  an 
swer  to  Vivian's  last  remark,  Jones,  the  tipsy  ex-ship 
ping  clerk,  sitting  at  the  next  table,  waxed  playful  with 
the  lady  he  called  Gert.  Upon  her  ample  bosom  there 
hung  a  flashy  lavalliere  suspended  by  a  heavy  chain. 
Mr.  Jones  toyed  with  it  while  waiting  for  the  food  and 
drink  he  had  ordered.  Suddenly  he  remarked  thickly : 
"This  is  a  pretty  nifty  piece  of  junk,  Gert!  But  you 
should  have  seen  the  big  diamond  that  John  Powell 
got  by  express. 

"It  came  in  a  sealed  package  and  our  head  clerk 
sent  me  up  to  Mr.  Powell's  house  with  it.  Powell 
opened  the  package  while  I  stood  by  and  he  nearly 
threw  a  fit;  for  there  inside  was  a  case  and  in  that 
case  was  a  letter  that  stung  him  hard,  and  with  the 
letter  was  a  chain  and  locket  about  a  thousand  years 
old. 

"And,  listen,  hi  that  locket  was  a  diamond  as  big  as 
an  English  walnut.  I  think  it  was  the  same  diamond 
that  the  circus  guy  gave  the  lady  lion  tamer.  Then  the 
lion  killed  the  lady  and  her  husband,  the  clown,  killed 
the  circus  guy  and  then  shot  himself.  Remember? 

"John  Powell  bought  the  diamond  at  the  auction 
of  the  busted  circus,  then  some  gink  stole  it  from  him 
and  Powell  got  it  back  by  express,  just  as  I'm  telling 
you. 

"They  say  John  Powell  is  crazy.  He  sure  acted 
crazy  when  he  read  the  note  that  came  with  the  big 
sparkler.  He  gave  me  fifty  dollars  to  keep  my  mouth 


410  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

shut  about  it.  But  I  don't  have  to  keep  my  mouth 
shut  about  anything  for  anybody,  for  all  I  got  for  the 
way  I  worked  in  his  office  was  to  be  thrown  out.  Wait 
till  I  see  Powell,  I'll  get  my  job  back,  all  right,  and  no 
body  won't  stop  me!" 

Blair  and  Vivian  sat  up  as  though  electrified  at 
the  first  words  about  the  diamond  they  had  overheard. 
Now  that  the  tipsy  clerk  had  ceased  speaking,  Blair 
stood  beside  him. 

"You'll  get  your  job  back  all  right,  Jones!"  he  said 
hoarsely.  "Here's  fifty  dollars  from  me.  Tell  me  again 
about  the  diamond  coming  by  express." 

And  the  clerk  repeated  his  story.  Even  while  he  was 
speaking,  Vivian  had  called  the  waiter  to  bring  the 
bill  and  their  auto  wraps. 

Once  in  their  great  roadster,  Blair  put  on  full  speed 
through  the  night  and  cursed  fervently. 

"The  cunning  dope-fiend!"  he  cried.  "Arthur  has 
'The  Diamond  from  the  Sky'  safely  hidden  from  us, 
right  under  our  noses!" 

"How  will  we  get  it?"  asked  Vivian  eagerly.  "Don't 
pull  any  more  rough  stuff,  Blair.  There  has  been  too 
much  of  that.  It  gets  us  nothing,  not  even  the  dia 
mond." 

"Leave  that  to  me!"  said  Blair  fiercely.  "The  time 
is  ripe.  We've  got  his  money,  Durand  is  dead,  de  Vaux 
was  evidently  paid  his  price  and  sent  the  diamond  back. 
He  has  skipped  far  away  and  need  not  be  reckoned 
with.  The  so-called  'John  Powell'  is  no  good  to  him 
self  or  any  one  else;  he  is  better  dead.  When  he  is 
dead  I  can  tell  who  he  really  was,  and  the  Earldom 
in  England  will  be  mine.  You  will  be  a  peeress,  Vi." 


On  the  Wings  of  the  Morning          411 

"Get  me  the  diamond  first,"  answered  Vivian  tensely. 

"There  won't  be  any  trouble  about  that,"  replied 
Blair.  "The  diamond  is  hidden  in  the  house  and  we 
will  find  it  after  Arthur  Stanley,  alias  'John  Powell/ 
is  dead!" 

As  he  spoke  he  stopped  the  machine,  for  they  had 
reached  the  aviation  field  and  the  hangar  where  John 
Powell,  amateur  aeronaut,  kept  his  latest  toy,  his 
aeroplane. 

Blair  took  a  tire  iron  from  the  tool-box,  wrenched 
the  hasp  from  the  door  and  entered  the  hangar.  A  file 
was  on  the  work  bench  beneath  the  electric  light  Blair 
switched  on.  Just  a  little  tampering  with  the  stay 
brace  wires,  but  sufficient.  The  next  time  John  Powell 
took  a  flight,  Death  would  ride  beside  him ! 

Vivian  asked  no  questions.  But  she  shuddered. 
For  the  man  who  was  to  die  had  been  in  her  arms  and 
her  caresses  had  beguiled  him.  But  she  must  choose, 
and  as  between  the  masterful  Blair  and  the  weakling 
doomed  to  die  there  was  but  one  choice — for  with 
Arthur  Stanley  dead  and  Blair  Stanley  come  into  his 
heritage  all  would  be  hers,  she  knew. 


In  the  luxurious  chambers  of  John  Powell,  Luke 
Lovell,  gipsy  and  escaped  convict,  stands  attired,  if 
not  in  purple  and  fine  linen,  at  least  in  fine  linen  and 
tailored  clothes  of  a  cut  and  texture  as  only  million 
aires  or  at  least  the  very  rich  may  have.  Arthur  stood 
dumbly  by.  He  had  handed  Luke  the  apparel  in  dazed 
silence — the  clothes,  the  fine  kid  boots,  the  snowy  shirt 
and  even  English  gloves. 


412  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

Luke  laughed  as  he  gazed  at  his  gloved  hands,  and 
from  them  to  his  entire  reflection  in  the  cheval  glass. 

"And  now  I  am  the  Romany  Rye,  for  sure!"  he 
cried.  "But  where's  my  rings  and  my  watch  and  my 
scarf  pin?  Why,  here  they  are  on  the  bureau!  You 
are  a  careless  valet,  Powell.  Suppose  some  ex-convict 
would  walk  right  through  my  library  window  and  come 
upstairs  and  coolly  take  them?" 

And  Luke  threw  back  his  head  and  laughed  again, 
for,  as  he  spoke,  he  had  taken  the  costly  ring  from 
the  hand  of  the  unresisting  John  Powell,  removed 
his  glove  and  put  on  the  ring  and  replaced  the  glove, 
all  with  the  mock  actions  of  a  dandy,  such  as  Luke 
had  seen  in  cheap  vaudeville  at  some  time. 

He  took  the  gold  repeater  and  its  diamond-studded 
chain  from  the  dressing  table,  he  stuck  the  costly  star 
sapphire  pin  from  the  cushion  into  the  gay  necktie  he 
had  selected.  Finding  Arthur's  monogramed  wallet, 
well  filled  with  banknotes  and  some  private  papers,  in 
the  upper  drawer  of  the  dressing  case,  Luke  had  taken 
it  also  and  remarked: 

"I'll  have  a  bank  account  soon,  but  just  at  present 
I'll  use  the  ready  cash.  And  now,  if  you  don't  mind, 
for  it  is  getting  toward  morning,  I  will  leave  you.  No, 
I  won't  go  out  the  front  door,"  he  added,  as  they 
walked  from  the  room  and  down  the  grand  staircase 
in  the  silent  mansion.  "I'll  go  out  the  way  I  came. 
It's  good  luck." 

In  the  library  Arthur  sank  again  into  the  easy-chair. 
Not  one  word  had  he  spoken.  He  was  ready  to  part 
with  the  blackmailer  as  he  was  ready  to  part  with 
life  itself — without  fear  and  without  hope.  At  the 


On  the  Wings  of  the  Morning          413 

thought  his  eyes  fell  upon  the  brandy  glass,  the  poi 
soned  chalice  with  which  he  was  to  drink  his  toast 
to  Death. 

Luke's  eyes  followed  his.  "Why,  I  declare ! "  he  cried, 
with  an  air  of  clumsy  playfulness.  "I  actually  forgot 
to  take  my  brandy  with  my  coffee!" 

He  picked  up  the  glass.  "At  parting,"  he  said,  "the 
Romany  Rye  drinks  your  good  health!" 

Arthur  stirred  as  though  to  stop  him.  But  he  was 
without  fear  and  without  hope.  This  was  destiny. 
What  man  may  read  the  Book  of  his  Fate?  It  was 
gipsy  kismet  that  Luke  and  not  he  was  to  pledge  the 
toast  to  Death! 

Luke  drained  the  brandy  at  a  gulp,  then  licked  his 
lips.  "Queer  stuff  that!"  he  said.  "Why,  damn  it, 
it  burns  like  acid!"  He  looked  at  Hagar's  son  and, 
plain  as  words,  he  read  what  was  in  the  dark  eyes  of 
the  other. 

"It  was  a  trap !"  he  shrieked.  "Damn  your  grinning, 
treacherous  face,  it  was  a  trap,  a  gipsy  trick!  You 
have  poisoned  me!" 

And  reeling  and  cursing  and  grasping  at  himself  as 
though  to  stay  the  agony  that  burned  at  his  vitals, 
Luke  staggered  through  the  low  window  to  the  lawn 
and  across  the  grass  plot  to  the  driveway  at  the  back 
of  the  mansion. 

And  then  a  great  glare  of  light  played  upon  him 
like  a  mighty  beam  of  incandescence,  and  with  a  rasp 
ing  shriek  from  the  electric  horn  Blair's  heavy  road 
ster  tore  around  the  corner  at  the  rear  of  the  great 
mansion  and  in  a  flash  had  struck  the  poisoned  man, 


414  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

crushing  in  his  face  and  leaving  him  a  huddled,  quiv 
ering  mass  in  the  roadway! 

John  Powell  clutched  at  his  heart.  In  the  agony 
of  the  moment  his  soul  seemed  to  leap  from  him  as 
he  peered  from  behind  the  window  shade  at  this  last 
tragic  toll-taking  of  Death,  the  guardian  of  "The  Dia 
mond  from  the  Sky"! 

There  was  a  shriek  from  Vivian  as  the  swift  auto 
struck  the  man.  Then  a  grinding  of  the  brakes  and 
the  car  stopped  with  a  jerk  and  Blair  ran  back  to 
the  huddled-up  heap  in  the  roadway. 

One  glance  at  the  crushed,  disfigured  face  and  Blair 
in  merciful  pity,  strange  to  him,  placed  his  coat  over 
it  to  hide  the  dreadful  sight.  He  bent  down.  There  was 
every  evidence  in  the  attire  of  the  victim's  identity. 
The  wallet  had  fallen  from  the  breast  coat  pocket  of 
the  dead  man.  Blair  knew  it.  He  called  for  Vivian, 
and  as  she  ran  toward  him  he  tore  from  the  breast  of 
the  dead  man  "The  Diamond  from  the  Sky,"  while  the 
halted  auto  throbbed  and  panted  as  though  it  gloated 
over  what  it  had  done. 

"A  gipsy  trick!"  the  dying  man  had  cried.  There 
were  other  gipsy  tricks.  John  Powell  was  dead;  with 
him  should  Arthur  Stanley  pass!  The  now  nameless 
man  ran  to  his  room  and  hastily  donned  a  heavy,  dark 
suit  of  clothes. 

The  cries  of  Vivian  and  Blair  had  roused  the  house 
and  the  nameless  man  heard  the  half-dressed  servants 
rushing  down  the  stairs  and  out  by  the  front  door  to 
the  back  of  the  house.  Unseen  he  passed  to  the  li 
brary,  and  then  as  they  bore  the  corpse  of  him  they 
thought  "John  Powell"  to  the  front  and  into  his  man- 


On  the  Wings  of  the  Morning  415 

sion  for  the  last  time,  the  man  who  had  been  Arthur 
Stanley  and  John  Powell  alike,  slipped  from  the  win 
dow,  stole  across  the  lawn  and  made  his  way  through 
the  murk  before  dawn  to  the  hangar.  Bringing  out  the 
great  birdlike  machine,  he  rose  with  it  and  climbed  up 
the  stairway  of  the  wind  and  rode  upon  the  wings  of 
the  morning! 

On  the  wings  of  the  morning,  and  far  below  a  gipsy 
caravan ! 

"Esther!"  he  cried.  "Esther,  my  beloved,  and 
Hagar,  my  dear  mother!" 

And  then,  on  the  wings  of  the  morning,  something 
snapped.  Down,  down  he  plunged.  He  saw,  in  the 
bright  light  of  day,  the  gipsies  swarming  out,  and  he 
could  discern  the  slight  figure  of  Esther. 

Then  he  felt  the  air  rise  up  on  either  side  as  he  sank 
like  a  plummet.  And  so  he  went  down,  down — see 
ing,  he  believed,  the  outstretched  arms  and  upturned 
face  of  Esther — without  fear  and  without  hope. 

At  the  mansion  of  the  late  John  Powell  a  wreath 
of  flowers  is  on  the  door.  The  newspapers  screech  sen 
sationally  of  his  death  and  the  strange  story  Blair 
has  disclosed  that  the  mad  millionaire,  who  took  poison 
and  threw  himself  in  the  way  of  an  onrushing  auto 
mobile,  was  not  "John  Powell,"  but  Arthur  Stanley — 
fugitive  from  justice  in  Virginia  and  heir  to  an  Eng 
lish  Earldom  and  "The  Diamond  from  the  Sky"! 

A  gipsy  hunchback  riding  to  the  dead  man's  house 
on  a  travel-tired  horse  is  told  all  this.  He  turns  sadly 
away.  How  shall  he  take  such  a  message  to  a  dying 
mother? 


CHAPTER    XXIX 
A  DEAL  WITH  DESTINY 

WE  all  deal  with  destiny,  wittingly  or  not. 
He  who  had  been  Arthur  Stanley  and 
John  Powell  alike  wastrel  and  profli 
gate  and  yet  fondly  beloved,  had  mounted 
the  stairway  of  the  wind  and  rode  upon  the  wings  of 
the  morning,  without  fear  and  without  hope.  He  had 
dealt  with  destiny  and  had  won. 

By  some  miracle  of  the  commonplace  the  falling 
aeroplane  had  struck  a  low,  thick  sturdy  tree  and  the 
man  plunging  to  death  had  been  thrown  up  into  the 
canvas  wing  of  the  bird  machine  and  so,  except  that 
he  was  stunned  by  the  jar,  had  escaped  unharmed. 

The  wondering  gipsies  chafed  his  hands  and  brow, 
one  put  a  brandy  flask  to  his  lips  and  forced  a  few  of 
its  fiery  drops  between  the  clenched  teeth.  All  the 
while  Esther  held  his  head  upon  her  lap  and  a  great 
joy  filled  her  being,  for  she  knew  he  lived  and  had 
come  back  to  her  free  from  sin  and  selfishness. 

And  so  when  he  opened  his  eyes  he  looked  into 
Esther's  and  they  both  read  what  their  lips  could  not 
utter — forgiveness,  love  and  happiness! 

They  bore  Arthur  back  to  the  nearby  gipsy  camp 
in  wondering  silence,  and  then  Esther  relieved  the 
gipsy  woman  watching  by  the  couch  of  Hagar  and 

416 


A  Deal  with  Destiny  417 

whispered  to  the  dying  woman :  "Can  you  bear  a  great 
happiness?" 

A  smile  transfigured  the  wan  face  of  Hagar.  "I 
know  the  good  news  you  bring,"  she  murmured. 
"Arthur,  my  dear  son,  is  here!" 

Prescient  in  the  face  of  death,  Hagar  also  knew  that 
the  husk  of  evil  had  fallen  from  Arthur,  and  that  the 
wings  of  the  morning  had  wafted  clean  strength  to  his 
soul.  He  leaned  his  head  against  that  loving,  tired 
breast  and  knew — full,  deep  and  satisfying — that  a 
mother's  prayer  was  indeed  a  charm  against  harm, 
above  all  diamonds! 

In  those  few  moments  of  deep  rapture,  Hagar 
realized  at  last  that  all  her  sorrows  and  sacrifices  had 
not  been  in  vain.  Her  son,  parted  from  her  since  his 
birth  hour,  was  in  her  arms  at  last,  the  man  she  had 
always  hoped  that  he  would  grow  to  be. 

She  laid  Esther's  hand  in  his  and  breathed  a  final 
blessing  upon  these  two  she  loved  above  all  others — 
and  so  this  gentle  yet  heroic  soul  passed  to  its  reward. 

This  was  the  news  that  Quabba  came  back  to  learn. 
This  was  the  news  that  wrenched  his  faithful,  humble 
soul.  But  Esther  and  Arthur  did  not  weep.  They 
felt  that  Hagar  had  passed  in  joy  beyond  comprehen 
sion,  and  Esther  had  no  cause  for  tears  and  Arthur 
had  cause  too  deep  for  them.  Together  they  gazed 
upon  the  calm  face  of  Hagar,  while  Arthur  again 
pledged  his  vows  to  be  true  of  heart  and  soul  as  the 
dead  had  wished. 

After  Hagar  had  been  laid  to  rest,  the  gipsies  led  by 
Arthur,  now  calling  himself  by  the  name  of  Harding, 
journeyed  on  back  to  fair  Virginia  to  their  mountain 


418  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

rendezvous  in  the  Blue  Ridge.  The  journey  was  long 
and  slow  and  yet  a  happy  one  for  the  fond  lovers. 

As  if,  in  truth,  the  evil  husk  had  fallen  from  him  in 
the  plunge  from  the  clouds  that  Blair's  treacherous 
tampering  with  the  aeroplane  had  caused,  Arthur  had 
found  the  drug  addiction  and  its  desire  pass  from  him. 
If  it  was  by  a  struggle  with  the  flesh,  he  did  not  show 
it.  His  eyes  grew  bright,  his  tanned  face  glowed  with 
happiness,  and  ever  through  sun  and  shade  Esther, 
his  beloved,  rode  by  his  side,  her  tender  hand  in  his. 

So  while  these  happy  lovers  journey  across  a  na 
tion's  breadth  with  the  simple  gipsy  folk,  how  fares  it 
with  the  great  of  earth? 

How  fares  it  with  Blair  Stanley  and  his  fair  wife, 
Vivian  Marston?  Have  they  not  everything  their 
hearts  have  desired?  They  have  all  the  wealth  of 
John  Powell,  for  Blair  was  next  of  kin  when  it  was 
proved  that  the  supposedly  dead  John  Powell  was 
Arthur  Stanley,  fugitive.  They  have  "The  Diamond 
from  the  Sky"  and  the  Stanley  Earldom,  for  to  these 
things,  long  desired,  Blair  also  is  heir,  as  next  of  kin. 

And  Luke  Lovell,  with  a  face  crushed  beyond  recog 
nition,  lies  in  a  Western  graveyard  with  the  name  of 
Arthur  Stanley  on  his  tomb. 

The  physicians  who  examined  the  dead  man  knew 
nothing  of  the  drug  addictions  of  John  Powell;  they 
sought  for  no  marks  of  these.  The  wounds  and  scars 
on  Luke's  body  from  his  escape  from  prison  and  other 
hard  knocks  he  had  endured  in  life,  were  believed  to 
be  the  marks  of  injuries  that  Arthur  Stanley,  alias 
"John  Powell,"  had  sustained  in  the  brawl  and  riot 
at  his  mines  that  had  incapacitated  him,  while  he  had 


A  Deal  with  Destiny  419 

been  under  the  care  of  Durand.  Blair  and  Vivian 
shunned  proximity  to  the  dead  nor  looked  upon  the 
crushed,  encoffined  form  again. 

Then,  before  Blake,  the  detective,  or  Abe  Bloom,  the 
Richmond  gambler — the  first  deeming  justice  should 
be  done  and  the  latter  desiring  the  diamond — could 
make  a  move,  Blair  and  Vivian  crossed  the  continent 
from  Los  Angeles  and  sailed  for  England. 

So  Blair  and  Vivian  journeyed  to  London  and  were 
received,  with  some  ill  grace,  by  Marmaduke  Smythe. 

But  Marmaduke  Smythe  did  his  duty  as  he  saw  it. 
He  had  all  the  credentials,  and  in  due  time  Blair  took 
his  seat  in  the  House  of  Lords.  This  brief  and  some 
what  bald  ceremony  was  not  at  all  satisfying  to  the 
luxury  and  display-loving  Vivian.  She  had  been  in 
the  Peeresses  Gallery  in  afternoon  attire  and  had 
seen  Blair  introduced  to  the  Lord  Chancellor  by  a  fat 
and  stupid  old  Baron  of  the  Realm,  whom  Smythe 
had  secured  to  be  Blair's  sponsor. 

The  robes  an  earl  wears  on  taking  his  seat  in  the 
House  of  Lords  are  neither  graceful  nor  becoming.  It 
was  the  first  bitterness  to  Vivian,  who  had  imagined 
an  occasion  of  great  splendor.  Blair  wore  an  ordinary 
morning  suit  under  his  robes — for  it  was  the  custom, 
Smythe  had  assured  them,  and  when  one  is  a  Peer  one 
must  do  everything  according  to  custom. 

Then  when  Vivian  and  Blair  were  to  be  presented 
at  court,  which  meant  something  more  satisfying  in 
costume  and  ceremony,  King  Edward  VII.  died  and 
King  George  V.  reigned  in  his  stead.  There  was 
the  usual  period  of  mourning  and  no  Royal  Drawing 
Room  until  after  the  Coronation. 


420  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

The  Coronation!  That  was  worth  the  waiting;  for 
it  meant  the  only  occasion  a  Peer  and  his  noble  Lady 
may  wear  their  coronets  and  the  more  graceful  and 
beautiful  Coronation  robes.  Here,  too,  "The  Dia 
mond  from  the  Sky"  could  be  worn,  literally  as  the 
adventurer,  Sir  Arthur  Stanley,  who  found  it  in  a 
meteor  three  centuries  before,  had  desired — "when  a 
descendant  of  my  body  shall  be  called  to  the  English 
Earldom  of  the  Stanleys!" 

So  while  Vivian  and  Blair  were  feverishly  longing 
for  the  glories  in  which  they  were  to  take  part, 
and  while  day  by  day  the  suspicion  and  distrust  be 
tween  them  and  Marmaduke  Smythe  grew  in  intensity, 
let  us  return  to  America  among  the  humble  gipsy  folk. 

The  gipsies  had  reached  Virginia  and  the  neighbor 
hood  of  Fairfax.  The  caravan  moved  on  under  the 
leadership  of  Quabba,  now  headman  for  Arthur  and 
Esther.  Skirting  around  Fairfax,  Arthur  and  Esther 
rode  in  the  twilight  and  stood  at  the  entrance  gates 
of  Stanley  Hall.  The  place  was  barred  and  bolted  and 
fast  falling  to  decay.  Weeds  flourished  on  the 
once  well-kept  lawns  and  flower  beds.  A  weather- 
stained,  discolored  sign,  "To  LET!"  was  hung  by  rusty 
nails  to  one  of  the  great  pillars.  A  whippoorwill  called 
mournfully  from  the  shrubbery  in  the  gathering  twi 
light. 

"Mistress  of  Stanley  Hall,  Esther,  my  wife-to-be, 
I  salute  you!"  said  Arthur  in  deep  earnestness,  as  he 
drew  Esther  to  him.  "Too  long  have  you  been  cheated 
of  your  birthright.  I  am  not  guilty  of  any  wrong, 
except  to  you,  and  you  have  forgiven  me.  Blair  Stan 
ley  is  guilty  of  the  death  of  Doctor  Lee  and  I  feel  sure 


A  Deal  with  Destiny  421 

that  Blake  has  the  proofs.  The  time  has  come  when, 
for  your  sake,  the  truth  must  be  known,  and  you  must 
take  your  place  in  this  stately  home  of  your  people 
where  I  dwelt  so  long  an  impostor,  to  foster  the  ambi 
tions  of  the  dead  and  to  augment  their  feuds  and 
hatreds." 

Esther  shuddered  and  threw  herself  into  his  arms. 
"No,  Arthur!"  she  cried.  "I  have  never  been  happy 
here!  Let  the  dead  and  their  secrets  rest  in  the  grave. 
Rich  and  of  high  position,  you  knew  no  happiness  nor 
would  I.  That  we  should  live  at  Stanley  Hall  was  not 
your  dying  mother's  wish,  I  know. 

"Looking  into  the  face  of  death,  she  saw  clearly. 
All  she  desired  was  that  we  should  be  happy  together. 
When  last  within  this  gloomy  house  with  her,  I  asked 
for  a  sign,  and  it  was  given  to  me.  And  I  repeat  this 
to  you  as  we  repeated  it  together  that  night:  'Entreat 
me  not  to  leave  thee  nor  to  return  from  following  after 
thee:  For  whither  thou  goest,  I  will  go;  and  where 
thou  lodgest,  I  will  lodge ;  Thy  People  shall  be  my  Peo 
ple  and  thy  God  my  God.' ' 

And  so,  as  the  twilight  turned  to  darkness,  these 
two  rode  away  from  Stanley  Hall  to  dwell,  unknown 
and  obscure,  among  the  simple  gipsy  people  who  loved 
them  well. 

Here  Detective  Blake,  from  Richmond,  found  them, 
and  here  he  brought  a  copy  of  the  proofs  of  Blair's 
guilt — the  finger-print  markings  from  the  murder  scene, 
the  library  where  Blair  had  slain  the  kind  old  doctor 
in  his  first  attempt  to  gain  "The  Diamond  from  the 
Sky." 

Blake  pleaded  with  them  to  halt  Blair  in  the  hour 


422  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

of  his  supposed  triumph.     But  Esther  and  Arthur 
refused. 

"Let  Blair  have  the  Powell  millions,  let  him  have 
Stanley  Hall,  let  him  have  the  Earldom  in  England 
and   'The  Diamond  from  the  Sky/ "   said  Arthur; 
"we  have  more  than  all  these  things,  for  in  casting 
them  aside  we  have  found  love  and  happiness ! " 

"Your  mother,  Hagar  Harding,  was  my  best  friend. 
She  gave  me  my  start  in  life,"  said  Blake  huskily.  "I 
will  abide  by  your  wish.  Abe  Bloom  suspects  much  ; 
but  Bloom  dare  not  move  unless  I  say  so,  and  I  can 
hold  him  quiet.  Even  near  Fairfax,  you  may  never 
be  recognized  in  the  gipsy  Arthur  Harding  by  the  peo 
ple  who  knew  you  as  Arthur  Stanley.  The  few  short 
years  have  changed  you,  but  it  is  different  with  Miss 
Stanley  here.  Who  could  not  know  her?  You  cannot 
keep  the  secret  on  this  account,  I  know." 

"This  is  a  sheltered  place  to  which  only  the  gipsies 
know  the  way — only  the  gipsies,  with  the  exception 
of  yourself,"  replied  Arthur.  "You  know  the  way  be 
cause  my  mother  taught  you,  and  you  know  the 
Romany  password  that  admits  you  past  the  outer  vans. 
This  is  the  old  rendezvous  of  my  mother.  The  gip 
sies  own  the  land.  We  will  not  be  here  long,  only 
for  our  wedding,  which  will  be  a  gipsy  one.  None 
but  a  Romany  can  be  at  the  wedding,  none  but  you, 
for  you  were  adopted  into  the  tribe  as  a  boy,  I  am 
told." 

"Yes,  I  was  picked  up  by  your  mother,  a  starved  and 
wretched  lad,  a  runaway  from  a  miserable  almshouse 
in  the  Middle  West,"  replied  Blake  softly.  "I  was 
adopted  into  Hagar's  tribe,  fed,  clothed  and  educated 


A  Deal  with  Destiny  423 

by  your  mother.  But  I  cannot  come  to  the  wedding. 
I  think  you  are  wrong  and  I  could  not  bear  to  see  the 
mistress  of  Stanley  Hall  wedded  as  a  gipsy,  when  she 
should  be  wedded  as  her  mother  was — the  way  her 
people  have  been.  You  will  pardon  me  for  speaking 
from  my  heart?" 

Esther  smiled.  "You  are  too  serious,  Mr.  Blake," 
she  said.  "It  is  the  only  way  I  would  be  wed.  You 
may  be  an  adopted  gipsy,  and  Arthur  may  be  a  born 
one,  but  of  us  three  I  am  the  real  Romany;  and  I 
will  have  the  wedding  of  a  gipsy  queen  and  none 
other!" 

But  in  the  privacy  of  his  sanctum  in  his  Richmond 
agency  the  next  day  Blake  smiled  to  himself  as  he 
said:  "Blair  Stanley,  you  destroyed  one  set  of  proofs 
when  you  struck  down  Hagar  and  wrested  them  from 
her.  Arthur  destroyed  the  set  I  took  to  him,  but  Tom 
Blake  has  the  originals!" 

Then  he  sighed  and  gazed  at  a  portrait  of  Hagar 
that  hung  upon  the  wall  of  his  sanctum.  The  pic 
ture  was  inscribed  from  Hagar  to  Blake.  The  eyes  of 
the  portrait  seemed  living  ones  in  the  earnest  gaze  of 
the  detective.  "You  are  dead,"  he  said,  "but  your  spirit 
lives,  I  know.  Whatever  was  the  wish  of  your  stead 
fast  heart — that  thing  shall  be  accomplished,  and  per 
haps  I  yet  shall  be  the  instrument  of  it!" 

He  spoke  prophetically.  In  far-away  London,  Mar- 
maduke  Smythe  writhed  in  secret  protest  at  the  title 
having  come  to  Blair  and  Vivian.  He  had  seen  Blair 
take  his  seat  in  the  House  of  Lords  and  no  word  from 
Blake  had  come  to  prevent  it,  although  he  had  cabled 
the  Richmond  detective  to  send  proofs  of  Blair's  guilt 


424  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

and  secure  a  requisition.  Blake  had  gone  about  this 
latter  task;  but,  influential  as  he  was,  he  found  the 
Virginia  jurists  were  averse  to  moving  in  the  matter. 
It  was  only  after  long  delay  he  secured,  with  all  the 
secrecy  possible,  a  warrant  for  Blair  and  a  requisition 
to  return  him  to  America,  and  with  these  he  journeyed 
personally  to  England. 

Meanwhile,  in  the  fastness  of  the  Blue  Ridge  there 
was  a  royal  wedding,  the  nuptials  of  royalty  in  Romany. 
King  Arthur  married  Queen  Esther,  and  gipsies  from 
all  over  the  land  gathered  together  for  the  event. 
There  was  a  May-pole  and  there  was  music  and  there 
were  garlands.  The  vans  were  garlanded,  the  little 
children  strewed  flowers  and  the  elder  gipsies  bore 
branches  of  blossoms  to  form  a  scented  archway  for 
the  royal  young  couple.  The  goats  and  horses  were 
garlanded.  Quabba  wore  a  garland  and  a  big  bridal 
favor  and  led  the  gipsy  musicians,  who  played  all  the 
while  the  merry  Romany  wedding  strains.  Clarence, 
the  monkey,  had  a  wedding  favor  and  wore  a  garland 
and  was  made  to  beat  the  triangle,  though,  in  sooth, 
Clarence  was  cynically  indifferent,  being  a  bachelor 
by  instinct. 

And  so  the  May-pole  ribbands  were  twined  and  so 
the  wedding  dance  went  on,  and  so  at  sunset  the  royal 
pair,  King  Arthur  and  Queen  Esther,  jumped  over 
the  gipsy  broomstick  held  by  Quabba — and  so  they 
were  married. 

But  because  Esther  was  a  Stanley  of  the  blood,  a 
minister  was  brought  from  Richmond  to  marry  them 
in  the  conventional  manner.  And  the  minister  came 
and  went  and  wondered. 


A  Deal  with  Destiny  425 

After  the  ceremony,  the  merry  gipsies  lighted  the 
happy  pair  to  the  royal  van  with  flambeaux  and  re 
turned  to  dance  and  drink  and  sing  beneath  the  moon 
light  by  the  May-pole. 

But  the  royal  pair  stole  away  unseen  and  clambered 
up  the  sheer  hillside,  and  on  a  great  rock  pinnacle  they 
sat  embraced  watching  the  moon,  like  a  shield  of 
silver  on  the  wall  of  heaven,  hanging  over  the  dim  vale 
below. 

On  such  a  night  the  dapper  Count  de  Vaux,  once 
"Knave  of  Clubs  of  the  Diamond  Pack,"  sat  in  his 
bachelor  chambers  in  London  and  read  again  the  Coro 
nation  story  which  told  that  on  the  morrow  George  V. 
and  Queen  Mary  would  be  crowned  with  pomp  in 
Westminster  Abbey.  He  read  again  that  Blair,  Earl  of 
Stanley,  and  his  fair  Countess,  who  was  Vivian  Mar- 
ston,  would  be  among  the  privileged  and  high-born 
present. 

"The  American  Earl,"  so  said  the  newspaper,  "will 
wear  the  famous  Virginia  jewel,  'The  Diamond  from 
the  Sky' — which,  according  to  family  tradition,  was 
found  in  a  fallen  meteor  by  a  Colonial  ancestor.  The 
Earl  and  Countess  of  Stanley  came  up  from  Stanley 
Castle,  Warwickshire,  and  are  at  their  London  home, 
Stanley  House,  Mayfair,"  concluded  the  paragraph. 

And  de  Vaux  laid  aside  the  paper  and  went  out.  He 
took  a  cab  and  drove  to  the  neighborhood  of  May- 
fair.  Dismissing  the  cab,  de  Vaux  watched  and  loi 
tered  till  late. 

He  was  fortunate  enough  to  behold  from  his 
hiding-place  some  interesting  shadows  against  a  win 
dow  curtain  of  My  Lady  Stanley's  chamber — the 


426  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

silhouetted  reflection  of  his  lordship,  the  Earl,  clasp 
ing  "The  Diamond  from  the  Sky"  around  the  shapely 
throat  of  the  Countess  of  Stanley! 

The  next  day  was  the  Coronation.  The  Earl  and 
his  Lady  were  up  early  having  themselves  attired  in 
their  Coronation  robes,  for  the  crush  would  be  great 
and  they  must  be  at  Westminster  Abbey  in  good  time. 

Lawyer  Smythe  in  his  room  in  the  house  was  not 
happy.  He  had  received  his  conge  from  the  noble  Earl, 
my  Lord  Blair;  and  besides,  he  had  not  heard  from 
Blake,  the  Richmond  detective. 

"I  long  in  my  soul,"  mused  the  eccentric  lawyer, 
"to  have  his  lordship  arrested  in  the  very  doorway 
of  the  Abbey  and  dragged  to  Newgate  in  fetters,  though 
that  would  make  the  dead-and-gone  Earls  of  Stanley 
turn  in  their  stately  graves!" 

Just  then  a  servant  tapped  at  his  chamber  door  and 
announced  that  the  postman  was  below  with  a  regis 
tered  package  for  him,  so  taking  his  hat,  without  which 
he  never  stirred  outdoors,  Smythe  descended  to  the 
entrance  hall. 

Called  to  Lady  Stanley's  boudoir  as  he  passed  along, 
the  lackey  informed  her  ladyship  of  the  registered  mail 
package  for  Smythe.  Fearful  of  some  bitter  disap 
pointment,  fearful  of  his  criminal  past  in  America, 
Blair,  Earl  of  Stanley,  leaving  the  lackey  to  do  some 
service  for  the  Countess  Vivian,  hurried  down  the 
staircase  to  intercept  any  ill-omened  message  that 
might  have  come  from  America  for  Smythe.  On  his 
breast  there  glittered  the  famous  diamond. 

The  servants  usually  loitering  in  the  hall  had  been 
drawn  by  curiosity  to  follow  the  family  lawyer  to 


A  Deal  with  Destiny  427 

the  postman  who  was  waiting  with  the  receipt  slip 
and  the  registered  package. 

As  Blair,  ninth  Earl  of  Stanley,  reached  the  land 
ing  and  had  turned  to  come  down  the  last  stairs 
into  the  hall,  the  suit  of  armor  of  Sir  Geoffrey  Stanley, 
of  Agincourt,  was  behind  him.  When  he  had  turned 
and  whilst  he  stood  on  the  top  stair  for  a  moment, 
looking  down  into  the  hall,  one  of  the  mailed  arms 
is  suddenly  uplifted  and  as  suddenly  descends  again, 
bringing  down  the  battle  mace  it  holds  with  crushing 
force  upon  the  coroneted  head  of  the  American  Earl. 

Down  the  stricken  man  falls  headlong.  The  clat 
tering,  clanking  figure  in  the  armor  came  down  the 
stairs,  bent  over  the  crumpled,  bleeding,  prostrate  Blau% 
and  an  outstretched  mailed  hand  seized  the  great  dia 
mond  from  his  breast. 


CHAPTER    XXX 
THE  AMERICAN  EARL 

SHUT  outside,  Smythe  and  the  servants  of  Stan 
ley  House  hammered  at  the  bolted  door,  while 
they  could  hear  the  shrieks  of  Lady  Vivian  re 
sounding  through  the  house.  Smythe,  keener 
than  the  servants,  though  not  renowned  for  quickness 
of  wit,  sensed  that  some  murderous  intruder,  cause 
of  the  commotion  within,  had  shut  and  bolted  the 
front  door.  He  ran  hurriedly  to  the  back  of  the  house 
just  in  time  to  see  de  Vaux,  who  had  discarded  the 
armor  in  which  he  had  concealed  himself,  jump  from 
one  of  the  back  windows  on  the  stair  landing,  the  open 
window  swinging  back  and  snapping  itself  shut  again. 

Charging  swiftly  down  upon  the  unknown  intruder, 
the  lanky  man  of  law  made  a  perfect  low  tackle,  al 
though  he  was  no  exponent  of  football.  In  any  case, 
he  grabbed  the  hurrying  de  Vaux  below  the  knees,  and 
down  went  thief  and  lawyer. 

The  great  diamond,  which  de  Vaux  still  clutched, 
fell  from  his  hand  at  the  impact  and  was  thus  jerked 
through  the  air  and  dropped  unnoticed  into  the  up 
turned  hat  that  had  fallen  upon  the  ground  from 
the  lawyer's  pate. 

Meanwhile  Vivian,  in  her  coronation  robes,  was 
bending  over  the  stricken  form  of  Blair.  Instinctively 

428 


The  American  Earl  429 

Vivian  realized  what  had  happened.  She  hardly 
needed  to  place  her  hand  upon  his  breast — "The  Dia 
mond  from  the  Sky"  was  gone! 

The  servant  who  had  been  carrying  out  the  tea  tray 
from  her  boudoir,  when  the  sound  of  Blair's  fall  in 
the  hall  below  and  the  clanging  down  of  the  discarded 
armor  on  the  landing  had  told  her  that  some  tragedy 
had  befallen  the  American  Earl,  ran  to  the  door  past 
the  Countess  and  the  bleeding  Earl  prone  on  the 
tessellated  hall  floor. 

With  nervous  fingers  the  footman  unbolted  the 
door,  and  his  frightened  fellow-servants,  shoving  and 
pushing  and  beating  on  the  outside,  fell  in,  almost  on 
top  of  their  noble  master. 

Blair  by  this  time  was  recovering  from  the  dreadful 
blow  that  had  been  dealt  him  by  the  mailed  figure 
with  the  battle-mace.  The  cushioned  coronet  had 
saved  him  from  serious  injury.  The  blood  trickled 
down  his  ghastly  face  and  stained  and  smeared  his 
shirt  front,  and  also  stained  the  ermine  of  his  Corona 
tion  robes. 

With  a  sickening  pang  at  her  heart,  Vivian  realized 
there  would  be  no  pomp  and  ceremony  for  Blair,  Earl 
of  Stanley,  and  his  fair  Countess,  to  grace  this  day. 
George,  King  of  Great  Britain,  Emperor  of  India  and 
Ruler  of  Dominions  beyond  the  Seas,  would  be  crowned 
to-day  surrounded  by  the  nobles  of  his  realm,  but  the 
American  Earl  of  Stanley  and  his  Lady  would  not  be 
there. 

Something  of  this  must  have  passed  through  Blair's 
dulled,  aching  consciousness.  "Stop  him!  He  struck 


430  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

me  down!  The  diamond  is  gone!"  He  gasped  and 
fumbled  at  his  blood-stained  finery  as  he  spoke. 

The  window  on  the  landing  had  closed  back  in  its 
place.  Seemingly  the  armored  assailant  had  vanished 
as  if  by  magic,  only  the  heap  of  old  mail  accoutrements 
on  the  floor  told  how  the  murderous  intruder  had  been 
hidden.  The  servants  stood  open-mouthed  and  help 
less  as  Blair  rose  to  his  feet,  assisted  by  Vivian,  and 
then  he  roused  himself  to  drive  them  out  by  his  fierce 
commands  and  curses. 

The  struggle  at  the  back  of  the  house  was  strenu 
ous  but  brief.  The  doughty  lawyer  was  no  match  for 
the  younger  and  more  muscular  de  Vaux.  Throwing 
Smythe  aside  and  striking  and  kicking  him  viciously, 
de  Vaux  sprang  to  his  feet  and  made  off,  just  as  the 
servants  of  Stanley  House,  followed  by  the  Earl  and 
his  Lady,  came  upon  the  scene. 

Suspicious  and  ever  distrustful  of  Smythe,  Blair 
refused  to  believe  the  lawyer  had  attempted  to  stay 
the  mysterious  assailant  who  had  struck  him  down  and 
borne  away  the  Stanley  heirloom. 

Forgetting  his  grievous  wound  and  the  blood  that 
trickled  down  his  livid  face,  Blair  screamed  hoarsely 
in  his  wild  frenzy  of  anger  and  chagrin.  "Pack  your 
things!"  he  shrieked.  "You  were  in  the  plot,  you  were 
an  accomplice,  and  I'll  have  your  life  for  it!" 

By  the  dazed,  astounded  look  on  the  face  of  Smythe, 
Vivian  knew  that  Blair's  wild  accusations  were  ground 
less.  She  calmed  her  lord  as  best  she  could  and 
stanched  his  wounds  with  the  priceless  lace  handker 
chief  she  was  to  have  waved  in  applause  at  the  crown 
ing  of  a  mighty  monarch  and  his  consort.  But  intui- 


The  American  Earl  431 

tively  Vivian  felt  the  end  was  at  hand.  Their  house 
of  sand  was  crumbling — retribution  long  overdue  was 
at  hand ! 

Vivian  paled,  a  chill  went  through  her  being. 
"Come,  come!"  she  whispered.  "Come,  dear,  let  us 
go  into  the  house,  you  are  badly  hurt  and  the  diamond 
is  gone.  Never  mind,  we  will  recover  it !  Everything 
will  be  all  right;  yes,  everything  will  be  all  right!" 

And  for  the  first  time  in  her  wicked  life,  that  pity 
which  is  akin  to  love  filled  her  heart  with  a  deep 
affection.  After  all,  wicked  as  he  was,  Blair  was  a 
man  who  had  fought  his  way,  unscrupulously  and  des 
perately,  it  is  true,  but  he  had  fought  and  never  whim 
pered — and  for  her! 

And  in  this  ill  hour  preceding  more  evil  days  to  come, 
Vivian  felt  a  deep  affection  for  the  stricken  man  be 
side  her,  which  was  never  to  falter  or  weaken. 

In  distant  Virginia,  there  is  great  love  and  hap 
piness  in  the  joyous  hearts  of  Esther  and  Arthur 
in  the  sweet,  dear  year  that  has  passed.  At  the  gipsy 
rendezvous,  unvisited  by  the  outside  world,  Arthur 
and  Esther,  man  and  wife,  have  seen  the  happy  year 
speed  by  and  in  its  course  bring  their  hearts'  desire — a 
child. 

Again  another  joyous  gipsy  ceremony  for  the  Chris 
tening  of  the  little  gipsy  Prince.  Again  comes  the 
same  minister  who  was  brought  to  officiate  at 
their  wedding.  This  time  there  is  no  such  wild  revelry 
as  at  the  May-pole  wedding  which  so  amazed  and  in 
terested  the  good  man.  But  once  again  the  gipsy  musi 
cians  play  and  once  again  Quabba  is  wild  with  joy. 

At  the  hillside  fountain  that  gushes  in  a  crystal 


432  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

stream  into  the  hollow  trough  that  is  Nature's  own 
Christening  font,  the  minister  dips  his  fingers  and 
sprinkles  the  son  of  Esther  and  Arthur  and  says:  "I 
christen  thee  Arthur  Stanley  Harding!" 

Then,  after  the  Christening  feast  and  the  strange 
gipsy  rites  by  which  a  man-child  is  taken  into  the  tribe, 
the  good  parson  departs,  wondering,  as  he  has  won 
dered  before,  what  strange  gipsies  are  these  who  are 
ruled  in  love  and  kindness  by  a  young  king  and  queen 
bearing  every  evidence  in  speech  and  action  of  edu 
cation  and  refinement.  But  that  is  their  secret,  and 
the  good  man  respects  it  and  goes  as  he  has  come  and 
says  no  word  to  any  one. 

In  London,  the  Coronation  of  George  V.  and  Queen 
Mary  has  passed  into  history.  The  chairs  reserved 
for  the  Earl  of  Stanley  and  his  Countess  were  vacant 
until  in  the  crush  of  the  ceremony  the  ushers  permitted 
them  to  be  occupied  by  dignitaries  who  thus  had  been 
nearer  their  Sovereigns  at  the  crowning. 

The  pursuit  of  the  murderous  thief  had  halted  when 
Blair  had  been  helped  back  to  his  chamber  in  Stan 
ley  House.  The  still  bewildered  Smythe,  dully  smart 
ing  under  the  unjust  accusation  of  Blair,  had  searched 
for  and  found  his  hat  and  had  placed  it  upon  his  head. 
He  winced  as  he  felt  a  sharp,  heavy  object  fall  down 
within  the  crown  and  rap  him  smartly  on  the  skull. 
The  servants  and  the  Earl  and  Countess  had  left  him 
standing  alone  upon  his  inglorious  battle-field.  In 
stinctively  he  removed  his  hat  to  see  what  it  was  that 
had  rapped  him  so  smartly.  He  scratched  his  head 
and  then  in  mild  surprise  felt  his  fingers  entangled  in 


The  American  Earl  433 

a  jewelled  chain.  Drawing  it  down  he  gazed  at  it 
dumfounded. 

"My  word!"  he  said,  "if  it  isn't  the  bally  old  'Dia 
mond  from  the  Sky'!" 

Stupid,  as  Blair  might  think,  yet  wise  as  the  ser 
pent,  as  Blair  might  also  think,  Marmaduke  Smythe 
took  the  great  jewel  and  placed  it  carefully  in  the 
inside  breast  pocket  of  his  frock  coat  and  then  but 
toned  that  most  respectable  garment  tightly  around 
his  attenuated  form. 


One  afternoon  a  few  days  later  when  Smythe  re 
turned  to  his  room — half  bed-chamber,  half  library  and 
office,  quarters  sacred  to  him  as  family  lawyer  of  the 
Earls  of  Stanley  for  over  thirty  years — he  found  the 
present  Earl  busied  among  the  papers  and  documents 
on  his  desk.  The  curious  old  parchment  Hagar  had 
given  him — the  gipsy  family  tree  of  the  Hardings — 
had  been  tossed  upon  the  floor  contemptuously  by 
Blair,  who  regarded  it  as  some  personal  old  trumpery 
of  Smythe's. 

"Pack  up  your  things  and  get!"  said  Blair.  "Your 
own  things,  and  nothing  but  your  own  things,  remem 
ber!" 

Smythe  answered  dutifully  but  crisply:  "As  your 
Lordship  wishes!"  and  picked  up  the  parchment  of 
the  Harding  gipsy  genesis  from  the  floor.  His  bags 
were  packed  already,  and  he  shouldered  the  gun 
he  had  carried  in  the  wilds  of  America  and  was  turning 
to  remove  the  deer  head — the  cherished  souvenir  of 
his  second  visit  to  the  Yankee  jungles — when  Blair's 


434  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

exclamation,  "Leave  that  alone!"  caused  him  to  wheel 
around,  startled. 

The  gun  went  off,  pointed  backward  over  Smythe's 
shoulder,  and  the  heavy  charge  of  shot  struck  the  deer 
head  fair  between  the  eyes.  The  impact  loosened 
whatever  fastened  it  to  the  wooden  mount.  It  dropped 
forward,  held  at  the  lower  part  of  the  neck  to  the 
mount  as  though  by  a  hinge.  A  little  puff  of  dust 
marked  the  breakaway,  and  then  from  within  the  hol 
low  neck  a  little  package  of  yellow  parchment,  bound 
with  faded  tape,  fell  to  the  floor. 

Smythe  picked  it  up  and  saw  it  was  annotated  in 
ancient  angular  handwriting,  the  ink  faded  to  rust 
color  by  age.  The  lawyer's  eyes  opened  wide  as  he 
scanned  the  faded  markings: 


Ve  marriage  tines  Of  my  first 
Rachel  Carding,  J\  Gypsie  Ittayde,  USfto  Bore  me  H 
Son,  But  Ceft  me  in  Dudgeon  flnd  Caste  Off  my 
name,  Returning  Co  fier  Own  People  UWb  Ve  €ftilde. 
nor  mould  Sbe  See  me  more. 

"flrtbur  Stanley. 
"ye  Ring's  Province  of  Uirginia, 
6,  1620  fl.  D." 


"What  was  that?    Hand  it  here!"  snarled  Blair. 

The  mild-mannered  Marmaduke  was  roused  to  re 
volt.  "I  jolly  well  will  do  nothing  of  the  sort!"  he 
retorted.  "I  bought  that  deer  head  at  the  auction  at 
Stanley  Hall,  Virginia,  and  carried  it  over  the  whole 
bally  United  States.  It  and  all  in  it  are  mine!" 

Blair  moved  forward  as  if  to  take  the  paper,  but 
Smythe  shoved  a  table  between  himself  and  the  angry 


The  American  Earl  435 

Earl,  pinning  the  latter  to  the  wall  in  a  most  undig 
nified  position.  At  other  times  Blair  easily  could  have 
freed  himself  and  throttled  the  contumacious  Smythe. 
But  he  was  weak  from  the  injury  he  had  received  and 
he  pressed  his  hand  to  his  throbbing  head  and  re 
garded  the  rebellious  lawyer  furiously. 

And  then  the  door  opened  and  a  group  of  firm-faced 
men  entered. 

"I  beg  your  pardon,  my  Lord,"  said  the  first  of  the 
intruders.  "I  am  Inspector  Forde  of  Scotland  Yard. 
This  is  an  American  detective,  and  he  has  brought 
proper  requisition  papers,  and  this  warrant  has  been 
issued  against  you!" 

A  heavy-set  man  who  towered  behind  the  dapper 
inspector  stepped  forward. 

"I  arrest  you  for  the  murder  of  Doctor  Henry  Lee  in 
Virginia  three  years  ago!"  he  said. 

Blair  moaned  and  staggered  back  against  the  wall. 
This,  then,  was  the  end.  It  was  Blake.  The  Rich 
mond  detective,  the  friend  of  Hagar,  had  struck  at 
last! 

Without  a  word  Blair  stepped  forward  and  held  out 
his  hands.  For  once  in  his  life  he  was  cowed,  beaten. 

"Oh,  not  that,  my  lord!"  said  the  little  inspector  agi 
tatedly.  "It  wouldn't  be  necessary  to  put  handcuffs 
on  a  man  of  your  station  or  anything  of  that  sort,  my 
lord.  Doubtless  there  is  some  terrible  mistake  which 
will  be  rectified,  my  lord;  and  I  hope  you  will  not 
hold  it  against  us,  my  lord,  that  we  were  compelled  to 
do  our  duty!" 

Vivian  had  heard  the  strange  tread  of  the  men  upon 
the  stairs,  and  the  startled  butler  had  burst  in  upon 


436  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

her  with  the  crushing  information  that  officers  from 
Scotland  Yard  had  asked  for  his  lordship,  and  it  was 
not  concerning  the  thief  who  had  assaulted  his  lord 
ship,  they  had  said,  "for,"  the  trembling  butler  added, 
"that  was  the  first  thing  I  asked  them,  my  lady!" 

Vivian  ran  from  her  boudoir,  her  beautiful  hair  in 
disorder  around  her  fair  shoulders.  One  glance  told 
her  that  Fate,  Weaver  of  Destinies,  had  called  Blair 
to  account  for  his  crimes.  She  shrieked  and  fell  into 
his  arms.  In  prosperity,  in  their  wild  schemings,  she 
had  not  loved  him  as  she  did  now  in  the  hour  of  his 
downfall  and  humiliation. 

At  a  nod  from  the  inspector,  Blair's  valet  brought 
his  hat,  stick  and  overcoat.  One  last  passionate,  part 
ing  embrace  and  Blair  walked  with  his  captors  down 
the  stairs  as  a  felon — where  he  lately  had  trod  as  a 
noble  of  the  realm! 

De  Vaux  escaped  scot  free  but  without  the  diamond. 
Wondering  if  he  had  been  recognized  under  the  vizor 
of  the  helmet,  or  by  Smythe,  he  hid  for  several 
days  and  then  got  out  his  motor  car  and  gave  his  chauf 
feur  orders  to  speed  for  Dover,  where  he  would  take 
boat  and  escape  to  France. 

But  it  was  fated  de  Vaux  should  not  gain  Paris  for 
some  time  yet  to  come,  nor  alone,  for  as  his  car  sped 
swiftly  through  Mayfair  it  struck  a  taxicab  with  ter 
rific  force  at  the  corner  of  a  street.  The  heavy  fender 
on  de  Vaux's  big,  open  car  saved  it  from  injury,  but 
the  lighter  taxicab  went  over  on  its  side  and  the  uni 
formed  bobby  and  the  driver,  on  the  front  seat,  were 
thrown  stunned  to  the  street. 

From  the  uppermost  door  of  the  overturned  taxicab 


The  American  Earl  437 

a  stalwart  figure  clambered.  It  was  Blair,  sometime 
Earl  of  Stanley! 

In  his  hand  he  held  a  heavy  walking-stick,  and  act 
ing  with  swift  intuition,  he  turned  and  thrust  the  stick 
through  the  handle  of  the  door  and  behind  the  taxime 
ter,  fastening  the  door  hard  and  tight.  Within,  the 
muffled  cries  of  several  men  could  be  heard. 

De  Vaux  sprang  from  his  auto  and  faced  Blair  in 
surprise  for  one  brief  moment.  And  then  the  fellow 
ship  of  the  desperate  was  swiftly  invoked. 

"The  traps  have  got  me — save  me!"  cried  Blair. 
And  the  two  desperate  adventurers  sprang  into  the 
big,  undamaged  car,  which,  at  a  sign  from  de  Vaux,  the 
chauffeur  backed  from  the  wrecked,  overturned  taxi. 
The  big  car  was  turned  in  the  broad  street  and  darted 
away. 

Ten  minutes  later,  from  the  rooms  of  de  Vaux,  Blair 
sent  the  latter,  his  sworn  ally  now — such  are  the 
strange  decrees  of  destiny — to  Vivian  with  a  note. 

It  read : 

"Our  old  friend,  de  Vaux,  has  saved  me.  You  hold  the 
fort  as  Countess  of  Stanley.  De  Vaux  and  I  will  search  for 
the  diamond.  We  are  not  beaten  yet! 

"Lovingly, 

"BLAIB." 

It  may  be  understood  that  in  all  the  desperate  in 
timacy  that  followed,  de  Vaux  never  let  Blair  or  Vivian 
know  that  he  was  the  mysterious  mailed  assailant  who 
had  struck  down  Blair  in  his  Coronation  robes  and 
borne  away  the  great  jewel,  only  to  drop  it  in  his 
flight. 


438  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

Stupid  in  some  things,  but  with  the  wisdom  of  the 
serpent  in  others,  Smythe  studied  the  strange  docu 
ments,  evidently  placed  in  hiding  in  the  deer  head  by 
the  adventurer  Colonist,  the  first  Sir  Arthur  Stanley,  in 
Virginia,  three  centuries  before.  The  Harding  gipsy 
family  tree  gave  strange  confirmation  to  the  other  an 
tique  documents.  There  was  a  Rachel  Harding  born 
in  Kentish  Town,  England,  in  1600.  A  son  was  born 
to  her,  christened  Matthew,  after  her  own  father. 
Then  descended  from  this  Matthew,  through  all  the 
generations,  the  Matthew  born  in  Virginia  in  1860. 
This  Matthew  Harding  married  one  Hagar  Lee,  of 
another  gipsy  tribe  in  America.  There  was  noted  a 
son  born  to  these  two,  but  the  record  was  blotted  here 
on  the  parchment  of  the  gipsy  genesis. 

A  month  after  the  Earl  of  Stanley's  sensational  ar 
rest  and  still  more  sensational  escape,  Vivian,  Countess 
of  Stanley,  migrated  secretly  to  Paris  and  from  there 
journeyed  to  the  Riviera  and  joined  Blair  and  de  Vaux. 
Some  months  later  Smythe  sailed  for  America  with 
much  on  his  mind.  He  searched  the  ancient  Colonial 
records  in  obscure  Virginia  parishes  and,  with  the 
wisdom  of  the  serpent,  gathered  all  his  proofs. 

These  proofs  were  that  Arthur  Stanley,  born  son  of 
Hagar  and  Matt  Harding,  was  strangely  Arthur  Stan 
ley  in  name  and  right  and  the  descendant  in  a  direct 
line  of  the  adventurer,  Sir  Arthur  Stanley — and  there 
fore  rightfully  also  the  heir  to  the  Stanley  Earldom 
and  "The  Diamond  from  the  Sky" ! 

These  proofs  and  the  diamond  Smythe  brought  to 
Esther  and  Arthur. 

"It's  all  romantic,  my  dears,"  said  Smythe,  after  their 


The  American  Earl  439 

happy  greetings  were  over.  "It's  pleasant,  no  doubt, 
to  be  a  jolly  king  and  queen  of  the  gipsies  and  to 
dwell  in  Arcadian  and  primitive  simplicity  with  these 
odd  people,  don't  you  know?  But  you  have  a  duty  to 
perform.  A  duty  to  your  lineage,  and  a  greater  duty 
to  your  child!  You  must  accept  your  rank  and  The 
Diamond  from  the  Sky'  that  I  here  restore  to  you." 

"We  want  none  of  these  things  for  ourselves  or  for 
our  child,"  said  Arthur,  drawing  Esther  to  him  ten 
derly.  "Station  and  wealth  bring  nothing  but  sorrow 
and  heartache.  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky'  has  been 
a  curse  and  not  a  charm  against  harm.  It  cannot  be 
thrown  back  to  the  sky,  so  let  us  cast  it  into  the  sea 
and  rid  the  earth  of  its  evil  presence.  As  for  the  Earl 
dom,  for  myself  and  my  son  I  would  rather  we  remain 
plain  American  citizens  than  English  Earls." 

And  Esther  earnestly  agreed. 

"But  your  lordship,"  expostulated  Smythe,  while 
Arthur  smiled  at  the  title,  "your  lordship  may  remain 
an  American  citizen  and  still  legally  hold  a  British  title. 
I  can  cite  you  an  instance,  several  of  them." 

And  Smythe  did  so.  The  skeptical  may  consult 
Burke's  Peerage  for  the  precedents  in  question.  "Be 
sides,"  Smythe  went  on,  "you  deal  double  injustice  to 
her  ladyship.  Her  ladyship  should  at  least  be  mistress 
of  Stanley  Hall,  as  was  her  mother!" 

And  so  the  world  and  station  called  Arthur  and 
Esther  Stanley  back  to  Stanley  Hall,  and  thus  the 
wrongs  of  many  a  grievous  year  were  righted.  Per 
chance  the  dead,  whose  living  hearts  had  loved  and 
hated,  were  more  at  ease  for  this,  beneath  the  grave 
yard  turf. 


440  The  Diamond  from  the  Sky 

The  guilt  of  Blair,  a  fugitive  somewhere  on  the 
Continent,  had  been  made  known  some  months  ago  by 
Blake.  Arthur,  freed  from  all  suspicion  of  the  murder 
of  Doctor  Lee,  received  at  Stanley  Hall,  with  Esther 
and  their  infant  son,  every  heartfelt  greeting  a  gener 
ous-minded  Virginia  welcome  could  offer. 

A  great  reception  was  given  them  by  the  high-born 
of  Fairfax  and  by  the  humble.  Stanley  Hall,  brave  in 
flags,  saw  happy  throngs  upon  its  lawns  and  within  its 
stately  walls  again.  Vying  with  the  Fairfax  band,  the 
gipsy  orchestra,  led  by  Quabba,  now  ruler  in  Romany 
instead  of  King  Arthur  and  Queen  Esther,  who  abdi 
cated  in  his  favor,  played  again  the  wild  Romany  wed 
ding  strains.  Arthur  and  Esther,  with  the  ever-atten 
tive  Smythe  beside  them,  held  the  little  American  Earl 
in  their  arms.  On  his  baby  breast  gleamed  the  great 
jewel  of  the  Stanleys  and  ever  his  sweet  young  mother 
murmured  to  herself  and  to  him — "O  child  of  my  heart, 
not  a  diamond  but  a  mother's  prayer  is  the  true 
'charm  against  harm1!" 

And  so  love  and  peace  dwell  again  at  Stanley  HalL 
The  little  American  Earl,  son  of  Arthur  and  Esther, 
has  "The  Diamond  from  the  Sky,"  and  all  ends  hap 
pily  as  Hagar  prayed — except  that  somewhere  in  the 
world,  hidden  and  perhaps  waiting  to  strike,  is  the 
desperate  and  bitter  Blair.  With  him  is  his  cunning 
ally,  de  Vaux,  and  also  Vivian,  she  who  is  the  incarna 
tion  of  desire  for  "The  Diamond  from  the  Sky"  and 
all  it  meant  to  her. 


THE  EXD 


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